Hunting Ellie
by Neut
Summary: When a chance meeting brings Crown Royalty, Prince Theodore, and journalist Ellie Paisley together, their life seems complete. But, nothing is simple. Her previous life haunts her like a shameful secret. A secret family, silent threats and someone willing to go to extreme lengths to cause havoc within their lives - but will they succeed and break Ellie again, as well Prince Theo?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Prologue – Theo's POV**

The security gates eventually opened on the driveway to my younger brother's house, and the security guard car that followed me down here, only to overtake me on the smaller country lanes, pulled over to one side to let me through. As I drove past the car, I saluted at him and he bowed his head in return. In a way, I almost had to apologise to him for waking him up at four in the morning to head down to my brother's house for half six in the morning.

It was another two minutes' drive, going around ten miles an hour, to reach the front yard, where I pulled up in the far corner. Straight away, I could see my kid brother.

Luke wasn't a kid anymore, really, but I always viewed him as a child. I was four years older than him, meaning I was the Crown Prince of Great Britain and would have to deal with the throne the second my mother would abdicate – if she would. It came with great responsibility which I always carried around. My younger brother, Luke, was also meant to be responsible as the second in line to the throne but was always more of a joker.

Everything happened for him rather quick just over three years back; a new inside security girl joined who just happened to be his Soulfinder – and thankfully I got on really well with Grace. We were like brother and sister or close friends within a couple of days and we just moved on. She was kidnapped and I had to watch my younger brother, my best friend who I was always so close to, break down time and time again and become the hollow shell we feared he might be. We found Grace eventually, but her brain wasn't the same – she wanted to attack Luke. We also found out she was eleven weeks pregnant at the same time. We wiped her brain, and Luke and Grace were all good again. They moved out to Windsor castle before Christmas and their own home the beginning of the year after. Their baby daughter was born June 8th at Buckingham Palace stupidly early in the morning. Everything was perfect for a day before Grace was taken into surgery for complications. She recovered, and the day they brought their baby daughter, Lila, home Luke proposed to Grace and she (inevitably) agreed.

Then there was a terror attack in London, where Grace and Luke were kidnapped. There was a simultaneous attack in Buckingham Palace, where I was gassed and knocked unconscious and they stole Lila from me. A few weeks after, we found Lila and Grace in a quarry in Scotland, and Grace could confirm the location where my brother remained. We arranged the operation to get Luke out as Grace headed down to her university friend's house. However, my own father was the one behind the attacks on Grace – both kidnappings, the reason she needed surgery, and my own brothers, his own sons, kidnapping too – and went to shoot Luke and Grace's two-month-old daughter. Grace jumped in front of the gun. It took a week until Grace woke up from a coma, and two months of intense rehabilitation until she was back to normal, but since then, the trio was never seen far from each other.

Even now, half six in the morning, Luke was outside with their three-year-old daughter Lila, washing their car. As I turned off the engine, Luke dropped the sponge he was using back into the bucket and looked over at me. I got out the car.

'Isn't it a bit early to be washing cars?' I called over to Luke. Lila looked over at me excitedly before looking back at Luke, who nodded. Lila then dropped her sponge too and ran over to me. I picked her up and spun her around.

'Hey, Princess,' I whispered to her, lifting her to sit on my hip. She was a dead-ringer of her mother – long blonde hair that has a wave in it, a sprinkling of freckles and chubby cheeks. She had Luke's eyes though – a bright blue colour.

'Uncle Theo!' Lila shouted before kissing my cheek.

'How are you so awake?' I asked her.

'It's morning!' She said, gesturing at the sky.

'She's been saying that since five,' Luke said, coming over to me as he wiped his hands on his t-shirt. 'She doesn't understand the concepts of lie-ins.'

'Where's Grace?' I asked as I hugged Lila.

'Inside finishing off her case, she shouldn't be more than an hour until she's good to go – what time does the zoo open?' I asked and Lila looked over at me in shock.

'Zoo?!' She shouted and Luke laughed, taking her off me.

'We didn't tell her or she'd be up at around two this morning, excited,' Luke said, putting Lila down on the floor. 'We can't go to the zoo is the car is still dirty though, Lils, the giraffes don't like dirty,' Luke said as he crouched down and told his now excited daughter.

'Giraffes don't like dirty cars?' Lila said, swaying and I grinned at her.

'No, they don't. Flamingo's don't like dirty cars either, so we have to finish washing the car before we can go to the zoo,' Luke said to her, gently touching her cheek. Lila grinned back at her father before she ran back over to the car, picking up her sponge and started to rub a spot on the grey Corsa that was in the driveway. 'I won't tell her that you're driving,' Luke said and I rolled my eyes.

'Child slavery I think that is, Luke,' I told him and he grinned and shrugged.

'She's very much willing to wash cars, she's an odd one,' Luke said. 'You got over here earlier than expected,' He added, checking his watch. 'We're not leaving until past nine, I'm hoping to convince her to have a nap before then,'

'Traffic was decent for once,'

'That's because rush hour doesn't start for a while,' Luke added and I knew he had me foiled. He knew I came two hours early for a reason. 'So, the real reason you appeared two hours early is…'

'Is Grace around?' I asked shyly again.

'Uh oh, what have you done to require the assistance of my MI5 wife-to-be.' Luke said, crossing his arms. 'She can't help you if you've murdered someone,' He added.

'No, nothing like that,' I tutted. 'Is she in the office?'

'Yup, don't get her too bogged down in your murder mystery please,' Luke simply said before turning around and heading back over to his daughter who was still happily washing the tyres on the car, crouching over in her pyjama bottoms and talking to her teddy bear who was sat down next to the bucket.

I sighed before heading over to the front door which was left on the latch. Their home was warm and welcoming; with a modern appearance, inside. The tiled floors matched the colour of the timber beams, and the while flat walls had the odd canvas of family pictures. I headed through the long kitchen and down two steps into a small corridor and knocked on the door on the right-hand side which was open. I could see Grace in her pyjamas, sitting on one leg and the other resting on the chair, hair tied up in a neat ponytail and several word documents in front of her, and one on the laptop screen. She turned around on her pivot chair.

'You got confused, we said half eight, not half six.' She simply said. 'It's alright, must be your old age,' She added as an after thought.

'I'm here early for a reason,' I told her, 'Can I sit down?' I asked, gesturing to the seat that was beside her and she just looked at me for a moment. I could see the slight frown on her forehead before she nods.

'What's up?' She said, sipping from a mug that was beside her.

I sighed. I didn't quite know how to tell her. I had kept it secret for almost three years – nearly as long as she has had Lila running around – and now I had worked up the courage to tell someone my body wasn't allowing me to tell her. I trusted her nearly as much as I trusted everyone else. Perhaps even more – it hadn't crossed my mind to tell Mum or Luke. But my body wasn't allowing me too.

'You're being ominously silent for someone who wanted to ask a question,' Grace said after a few moments of silence before sipping her drink again 'Normally people speak when people ask them what is up,' she added.

'You remember when Lila was born?'

'Oh… When my daughter was born?' Grace said, taking another sip, 'Yeah, springs to mind,' She joked and I rolled my eyes.

'Crystal and Xav came over randomly, you asked why and they just said they had some work to do,' I started to explain.

'But they came over to find your Soulfinder, yeah,' Grace added.

'No, wait – how did you know that?'

'I guessed, and I asked you and you just went "maybe" so I just kind of assumed that was what was happening,' Grace said and I sat there watching her. 'I did wonder what had happened,'

'Crystal said she couldn't find her,'

'Ah,' Grace said. 'Sorry,'

'It's okay, I got a call the other day from Crystal – she had managed to track her down. Crystal assumed she was dead or just completely unavailable and I just kinda accepted that, but now she's called up saying that's she's fine and she lives in Ireland and commuted regularly to London and I dunno what to do, I didn't want to mention it to Luke because it would just seem so trivial.' I said to Grace shyly and she nodded. 'I mean, I was in a better place back then to go for it, and now I have so much weighing on me and barely any free time and I can't just go to Ireland for the weekend to look for her, and she won't ever fall for me because she knows my status,'

'Hang on, it doesn't happen like that,' Grace told me. 'I didn't go to Buckingham Palace with all intentions to hit on Luke and eventually have a kid with him – that wasn't how that worked. You'll bump into her, and things will be tough from both ends, and in all honesty, the status thing with Luke was a massive turn off but you work out ways to get over it. Eventually, you'll learn what you'd put first – your status or your girl,' Grace told me simply.

'What did Luke put first?' I asked her.

'Oh, from Day 1 he always put me first. He was on about denouncing his title to move back to Berkshire or Hampshire with me. But he likes being melodramatic.'

'What do you think I should do?' I asked her to know it was stupid. Anyone looking in would question why a Crown Prince who will inevitably become King at some point, would heavily rely in on his younger sister-in-law to be for advice but I had never seen her as anything other than my sister. Someone I could go to for help.

But she shrugged. 'I cannot make that call for you, Theo. If you aren't in the right mindset and you are questioning about trying to find her, then you aren't ready. It is a hell of a lot of hard work, and whilst it does pay off every single second, it still drains you and it is a lot of commitment within the first few months. If you aren't ready for that, it would mess both you and her up. But if you're willing to give it a go, then what is stopping you?' Grace said, locking her computer and getting up. 'Breakfast?'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Around half nine, we had all piled into my car. Grace was sitting in front with me, giving directions on how to get to Marwell zoo in case we lost the security car that would be sitting in front of us a few cars away, and Lila and Luke were in the back – Luke having lost the rock-paper-scissors to keep the excited child calm. I pulled away, following the giant black jeep with tinted windows in front of me, waiting at the junction after that had turned left. A few minutes later, when the road was clear, I pulled out too.

'Can I get a toy!' Lila shouted and I saw Grace grin.

'Don't have you have enough toys, Lila?' Luke asked as my niece hugged her favourite toy; a now tatty yellow duck toy.

'No! They want more friends,' She said in the back.

'Lila, we will get you a new toy if you go and have a nap. Plus, you'll get to the zoo quicker if you have a sleep,' Grace said in a sing-song voice from the from the front.

'Okay, Mummy!'

Less than five minutes later the toddler was snoring and Luke leaned forward on his chair to talk to us quietly.

'How on Earth do you do that?' Luke asked Grace and she grinned and smiled before she gently kissed him.

'Magic,' She mocked.

'Mmm, I bet,' Luke said.

'Okay you two, let's not do this in the car,' I joked at the pair knowing they had mentioned once or twice about wanting another child now Lila has grown up considerably and was due to start school next September – which would allow Luke to go back to work as a paramedic full time and Grace would be working from home, like she does now, for military services. But I knew Grace wanted another kid, another baby to look after. After the shooting last year, she had to have someone around her for four months after just in case someone would come around looking for her. And I saw Lila grow up as fast as she did and I knew she missed having a baby to, well, baby. She missed the sleepless nights and the cuddles and the feeding and being able to cradle Lila in one arm. Whilst she loved Lila to absolute pieces now, she still wanted another baby. Luke wasn't far of the same ideology either, but neither of them had agreed to anything yet. Or at least that was what I was aware of.

It was weird; my younger, kid brother had a nearly-wife and a toddler daughter and I had yet to be in a serious relationship that lasted longer than three months.

I thought about what Grace has told me; if I wasn't ready – don't go for it. But how did I know when I was ready and when I wasn't ready? I wanted that level of closeness with someone that my kid brother had with Grace. I wanted that family bond, that laughter they had which I didn't have now. But did that mean I was ready?

But at the same time, whoever she was, I didn't want to put her at risk of any form of attack. It was almost fact how that if Grace had never met Luke, she wouldn't have got kidnapped (twice), shot (twice) and have horrific burn scars down her leg (thankfully, that only happened once). But look at them now – if anything, those incidents made them stronger as a duo.

We arrived at the zoo nearly an hour later – and thankfully Lila slept the entire way until Luke woke her up in the car park. And then she was very excited again. We parked in between two security vehicles and eight blokes came out of the car, surrounding us. Grace got out first, unbuckling Lila from her car seat and picking her up and placing her on the floor, where Lila promptly run over to a security guard excitedly, pulled his trouser leg and started talking about penguins to him.

'She's a weirdo,' Grace mouthed to me as I got out the car and I grinned at the floor. 'Lila,' She called and her daughter came straight back over to her.

We spent a good five or six hours at the zoo, Lila leading the way around every single animal exhibition, starting with the penguins and working around the entire zoo. Twice. We eventually stopped for food after the first tour. We had a large crowd us always and finally had a break in a small café, where Lila sat on Grace's lap to eat her lunch. And we were back off again, I picked up Lila at points, showing her the animals above the crowds as Luke and Grace were talking, and we all took it in turns to let the toddler run off and show us places. We found somewhere that allowed toddlers to have face paints and she fed some animals as some staff members spotted her looking at the giraffes happily. We went back around to the gift shop as Lila was excited to get a toy red panda and a flamingo, but fell asleep on the walk back. She was now sat fast asleep on Luke's hip. Grace went into the shop, buying a keyring and one or two other small trinkets and a few toys for Lila before we managed to make our way out of the shop.

It was in the car on the way back, when Lila was still asleep, Luke had also drifted off in the back seat that I turned to Grace, who was silent not to wake the pair in the back.

'I'm gonna do it.'

'Do what?' She whispered back to me.

'I will find her,' I mumbled and she nodded at me.

'Good choice, Theo,'

'You think?'

'Well, I'm not going to crush your hopes and dreams by telling you it's a terrible plan, am I?'

'You think it's a terrible plan?' I asked her and she shook her head.

'No, I was trying to get you think about your stupid question.'

'But, what do I have going for me?' I asked nervously, already starting to doubt myself. Grace just frowned at me taking a sip from her water. 'What does that mean?' I ask as I realised I wouldn't get an answer from her. She just shook her head.

'Were both you and Luke born ignorant?' She asked me quietly and I rolled my eyes but I wasn't entirely sure what she was on about.

'Look, I can't make up your mind and I can't make up your fate either. You must take control of your own life when it comes to things like this, Theo, you can't let anyone persuade you either which way when it comes to this. All I can say is you've taken ages to float around this subject. You thought she was dead and you would have got over that idea in your head, and now you've found out she is fine and alive and you're questioning it again. So you clearly care about her, perhaps you don't even realise that you care as much as you do,' Grace said, shrugging before putting her headphones, leaving me to my own thoughts.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

 **Hello!**

 **I hope you like this so far - I know he was a bit rushed and it seems a bit ropey but I wanted to get it up tonight so** eventually **I will rewrite this all. But I hope you like it!**

 **The updates should be once a week or so but I cannot promise! Please review and let me know!**

 **This is the sequel of Protecting Grace if you want to read that and know the characters a bit better!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I managed to grab a seat on the busy commuter train which almost felt like a success, something I should be rewarded for, albeit the seat is next to a fat business man who feels the need to spread his legs. Almost like he wanted to emphasis his Crown jewels to the ladies sitting opposite, who were looking every other direction.

Pulling my backpack onto my lap, I pulled out my breakfast biscuit and orange juice I always pack the day before and took a sip of the juice, taking a few tablets with them as I do; multivitamins, fatigue tablets, painkillers for my ankle. I then take a moment to observe the train. Getting a seat on this train is somewhat of a miracle. The 7:03 from Reading Station to London Waterloo is always packed with commuters heading from Berkshire into the capital, and is always packed to the brim with people in suits, on tablets sending emails, or on their phone reading the news or folding obnoxiously loud papers in their hands.

As my stop was only a few away from the bustling Waterloo station, I would quite happily stand in the corner by the door ready to jump off the second the doors opened and take a quick jog to the underground tube on the Jubilee line, heading to Oxford street. My office was another ten-minute walk from the tourist shopping hotspot, but it was easier than any other train line. It wasn't the worst commute ever; I lived in a small bedsit in Twickenham where the rent was extortionate for the room I had but it was enough. I didn't have much, so i it was enough.

It was more than enough considering the state I come from in Ireland.

So I never complained; I get up at half five each morning, do my make-up and got dressed, head to the train station, get the commuter train into Waterloo, the tube to Oxford street, walk to the offices of Drill – the online, younger-generation-based news feed I work for – stay there until six or seven, head home, have dinner and go to sleep.

Repeat five times a week, and do nothing on my weekends.

It was lonely. I know it was lonely, but everything I had now in comparison to what I had when I was living in Dublin it was literal heaven. I had a good job with a decent salary (most of which went on rent of my bedsit and train tickets) and I finally had freedom.

The train announced we were heading into the station at Waterloo and I sprung out of my seat, heading towards the doors – not pushing anyone, but awkwardly shimmying through thanks to my slim build – and the second the doors open I hoped off, branding my season train ticket in my hand heading toward the barriers.

As I headed down the maze of escalators to the tube platform I started to consider what I would come across at work. It was predictable. After the spontaneous firing of one of the best journalists in the company after she had gone off the rails, I had been promoted from a low-ranking paid intern to Royal reporter. It was as dull as it sounds. I had to sit there for office hours and type up a news story in a somewhat witty manner, but most of the news story was about the Royal family. When there was nothing to report, I would help with video editing or other news stories, but most of the time I would sit there and type up stories of the Royals.

I found the majority of them tedious. You had those who were fifth in line for the throne vining for attention at any possible opportunity. Some were going out and getting drunk and being rude to other people, and others just vying for the press which I had to give them. You had family rivalries, where those who weren't ever going to get the Throne so to speak slagging off those who probably will.

Thankfully, the heir to the throne and his younger brother were decent people. More than decent. I had met them a few times and I really liked them. Prince Theodore, who was the eldest son of the Queen, was quite shy in a way and didn't really mess around but it didn't make him a bore. Whenever he did royal visits, he would always be very polite. He went to a children's hospital up north a few weeks ago and played Just Dance on the Wii with the children who were there. He seemed like a very genuine guy. Not to mention he was single.

It was an ongoing joke in the office – but not because we wanted to be his wife or anything, but rather we knew the second he had a girlfriend or got engaged or anything we would be doing a shocking amount of overtime. That was one of the main reasons I was thankful for the birth of Princess Lila being before Lucy, the women who had this ole before I did went off the rails.

Then there was Prince Luke – second in line to the throne who was _hilarious_ to write about. He was always such a joker and when he went around for visits, he was always seen to be joking and laughing around. Recently, he was on a show about the Hampshire ambulance service. He has been working as an ambulance for nearly four years, the first year as a student paramedic and three years after, working a combination of part-time and full-time. There was a crisis in a number of paramedics being hired, so someone up in the control board decided to give eight paramedics body cameras to record their shifts – and who better to up the viewings than Prince Luke. He was a golden boy within the UK, everyone I have ever met loved Luke and the show demonstrated a completely different side to him everyone thought.

Him and his paramedic partner, Liam, were recorded joking around in the ambulance, talking about family and in general having fun when in the van. When he was at a case, though, he was calm and he was good at his job. It was obvious. There was quite a few times he mentioned his daughter to patients and was especially good with child-related calls.

Around three and a half years ago, his girlfriend was kidnapped and soon after she was found – a few months after – it was revealed via Instagram that Grace was pregnant with their first child. Now, the couple who post avidly on social media about their daughter, Lila. I knew the Royal wedding was coming up in three weeks and the majority of the country was talking about their wedding. I _knew_ about the wedding because I would be the person reporting them and was expected to be in the office for around forty-eight hours straight.

I arrived in the lobby of my office block half an hour before my shift and joined the queue for the coffee.

'Morning Ellie,' I heard someone say behind me and I jumped slightly. Joel was behind me, a lean middle-aged man who worked with me occasionally and was my mentor was when I first started. Now, we were really close friends. His wife and he occasionally let me stay the weekend in their place an hour down the tracks.

'Morning,' He said and he came up to me close before he gently brushed the back of my top and I frowned.

'Marks,' He said and I nodded.

'Anything interesting for me to report today?' I sighed.

'They went to the zoo yesterday,' Joel told me. 'Very cute photos, very nice story.' I nodded.

'Normally family outing for normal people,' I mumbled and Joel sighed.

'I know it sucks, I'll try and get you transferred over to me if you wanted to,' Joel said as we got to the front of the line. I ordered for both of us and Joel smiled, pushing me gently out the way to pay for both of us. I smiled at him thankfully as we stood there in silence until our coffees were made.

'It's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just –'

'It's almost like you're spending all your time focusing on five people and how they live?' Joel said and I nodded.

'They have a kid, too, she's only three, she shouldn't have her face plastered in magazines and papers and the internet, she should be focusing on playing with her toy duck,' I huffed. Joel just put his arm around me, hugging me gently.

'It's a shit job,' He sighed. 'You need to be on the real stuff. Beauty, perhaps?' I snuffed at the idea – I had never been into makeup or beauty. I put the basic makeup on, foundation, powder, setting spray, mascara… occasionally concealer depending on how long I was up in the night having nightmares. My "daily skin routine" happened once every fortnight. 'Okay… craft?' I could not have thought of something less likely to appeal than beauty – until Joel said that. 'Or just breaking news? I can try and get you onto breaking news if you'd like?'

'You'd do that?' I whispered to him and he nodded.

'I'd rather you on a team like breaking news than some of those shitty newbies. You have some minions who would take your place bird-watching the royals, you need to get out of there,' He said to me. We stopped outside my office where I could see three of the new recruits I work with hovering outside. 'What are you doing at the weekend?' Joel asked me, rocking on his heels.

'I don't think anything,' I said softly. 'I know that's sad,' I mumbled to my canvas shoes I had yet to change out of.

'Of course, it isn't,' Joel replied softly knowing my family situation – and by that, he knew I had no family whatsoever and the difficulty I had of the carers on the orphanage I came from in Dublin. 'Do you want to come for lunch with my family this weekend? We're going to this nice carvery near ours then we can go out for a drink later?'

'I can't crash your family do,' I mumbled.

'It's just me, Sarah and the girls and their mates,' He confirmed to me – but my point still stands. His wife, Sarah, is lovely and their two daughters were also nice to me too. I had gone out with them a few times but never like this. 'I've already asked all of them and they were all fine with it. The girls are at university so we'll pick them up in the morning. You can stay the weekend if you want – I've already booked the table to include you,'

'It's not overly a question then, is it?' I asked shyly.

'Of course not,' Joel added. 'I'll come around yours tonight, pack your stuff and you can stay at mine tonight and Saturday night too,'

'Are you sure?' I whispered.

'Yeah, honestly, it's fine! I'll see you at half five, then, don't let the zoo story keep you busy,' He joked before he walked off, greeting some other people down the hallway. I turned around, sipping my coffee before walking into my small room that doubled as an office for the four of us who were all on the Royals.

'Ellie!' Anastasia shouted as I walked in and I winced at her. She was the complete opposite of me; a family who doted on her and spoilt her rotten, sent her to a decent university to do a degree in agriculture. She has three cars and a penthouse in central London where her parents pay the rent. She has a _horse._

'Morning,' I sighed.

'So, we have a news story for this morning,' She said and I saw the other two members of my office sitting down with headphones in doing their news reviews and video editing like they normally do. Just Anastasia being annoying.

'Perfect, send it over,' I said.

'All of them went to the zoo yesterday,'

'Interesting stuff,' I added.

'Yeah, some lovely photos were taken of Princess Lila feeding the giraffes and running around. An exclusive photo of Prince Luke carrying Lila, some of Grace joking around with Prince Theo – everything. Absolute gold mine!' She exclaimed, tottering around on stiletto heels.

'Are those office appropriate?' I asked her, gesturing to her shoes.

'Why wouldn't they be?' She argued and I rolled my eyes but she didn't see. 'Also, we can spin a fake news story if we need,'

'Nope. We don't do that,' I said quickly.

'Why not?'

'Because it's illegal, and it will get you in shit. They're also normal people –' Anastasia snorted but I continued, 'And how would you feel if someone of Facebook wrote a status about you, things that were entirely false and everyone believed it? Pretty shit, wouldn't you?'

'They're used to it,' She scoffed. 'They're _Princes_ , for God's sake Ellie. They've had it since they were born,'

'Grace isn't, she's a girl who grew up in a village who just happened to meet the Prince on a night out when drunk and it went from there – she isn't used to it and I can bet my ass your fake news is something about her being pregnant again, isn't it?' Anastasia remained quiet. 'I thought so – don't.' I simply said before walking into the room at the top of my office – an office to call my own and away from the stupidity of Anastasia.

I thankfully couldn't see Anastasia's desk from where I sat in my office and leaned back on my chair, praying that Joel could get me transferred out of this tiny office into some proper work. But, nonetheless, that would take time and I still had bills to pay until then, so I loaded up my email and worked on that story.

It was a fairly normal day until three o'clock when my desk phone rang. I frowned – it never rings unless there was something seriously wrong. I sat up from where I was slouching badly on my chair and answered the phone.

'Hello?' I said shyly.

'Ellie, it's Joel.' He said sharply. 'What the Hell have you shared on the page?'

'What do you mean what have I shared? I literally posted the zoo story earlier and that's it?'

'No – there's one posted twenty minutes ago,' Joel said. 'It wasn't run through the Palace and we're in big shit.'

'What's the user tag?' I asked, referring to the user tag that shows who wrote the story but I realized too quick who it was. I pulled the blind up to see Anastasia on her laptop without even looking at me. The little bitch.

'Anastasia Padello.' Joel said, sighing.

'Can you take it down? I'll kill her for you.' I said sweetly and he laughed.

'Yup, it's already down but I've sent you the raw copy. Kill her politely, please,' Joel said before hanging up the phone and I jumped out my chair and opened the door.

'Anastasia, get your arse in here please,' I said and she sighed before coming in.

'I know what I did was wrong but I'm not sorry for it,' She said as the door closed and I frowned at her, crossing my arms across my chest.

'Are you an idiot, sweetheart?' I whispered to her.

'You can't talk to me like that.'

'What you done was illegal, Anastasia, and against your contract. You knew that. You know when you started in this specific department you signed paperwork. You know the stories have to be sent to the Palace before they can be published or we can get fined. We can be prosecuted. You signed an agreement saying you have to obey these rules and you have to send any news story to me to send off – you understood this, right?' She remained silent. 'I told you this morning do not publish that fake story you said. There was no reason too. We had a story we could have posted and you decided to do this,'

'I wanted to get my name known,'

'You will when you go through court,' I sighed as I opened the email. 'Why on Earth did you want to spread this fake news out? Why did you have to say Grace was pregnant again?'

'Because, like, I don't believe she was with Luke when she was a teenager. She doesn't deserve him.'

'Don't give a shit if you have a crush on Luke,' I mumbled.

'I don't! she said and I sighed. 'Who has a kid willingly, on purpose, when they're twenty-one? Before they're married?'

'The majority of people these days,'

'It's bullshit,'

'I actually don't care.' I said. 'Go home. Don't come in on Monday until I can review your contract,' I said.

'You're firing me?'

'No, like I just said, reviewing your contract.'

She stormed out and I hit my head on the desk.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Thanks to the extra work caused by the Anastasia story, Joel and I didn't leave the office until half seven – meaning we wouldn't get back to his house for a good two-hour minimum. Joel gently ushered me onto the tube, then onto the train for a few stops. I was always quite embarrassed and ashamed when I had to show someone my bedsit apartment but Joel understood that I had no one apart from work friends and I didn't really have a need for a big fancy apartment. I had no one to share it with. We arrived outside my flat at half eight.

'Give me a moment,' I said and he nodded.

'Want me to stay out here?' He said slightly awkwardly, viewing the state of the concrete hallway. There were ominous liquid stains on the floor. There were empty beer cans and I believe I saw a hypodermic needle on the way in.

'You can come in if you want to,' I said, unlocking the door and quickly grabbed my holdall from the front entrance. Joel stood in the front entrance as I ran around, grabbing two pairs of jeans and shoving them in the case with a handful of tops and a dress. I threw in some heels and my Converse shoes and my makeup bag too.

'That was quick – Anya is never that quick when we're picking her from university,' Joel said and I smiled shyly. 'You sure you have everything, Ellie?'

'I'm sure if not, I can always nip down the shops and pick it up,' I said, zipping up the holdall and grabbing a thin grey waterfall cardigan and throwing it over my shoulders. 'Let's go, then.' I said.

'You don't need to be ashamed of your home, Ellie,' I got told very gently and I looked down at my shoes embarrassed. 'We all started off like this,'

'It's been like this for four years, Joel, it's not starting off. This is what I have,' I gestured to the room.

'You have to remember, you don't come from privilege as most of these kids we work with do. You have come from a hell of a rough life before you even moved to this country, Ellie. You don't have any family, you don't have anyone to rely on. Even I rely on my Mother for some things, but you don't have that – you have done all of this by yourself for yourself.' Joel said as I started to cry. He tutted, coming over to me. 'You know Sarah sees you as another daughter, we are here if you need us, Ellie. We won't let you down,'

'Joel,' I sniffed.

'Ellie, I'm being serious. You have done all of this without any support – you went through university with nothing, you got a job and worked your way up. You've done well, you have done all of this by yourself with no handout. That's incredible.' Joel mumbled rubbing my arm. 'You ready to go then?'

'Yeah,' I smiled as he took the keys from my house, locking up my tiny little apartment in a crappy area of Twickenham, ready to lead me to a weekend in his lovely three bedrooms suburban house, the stark contrast prominent for both of us.

We arrived at his house, picked up by his wife from the station, at half nine at night. After a quick meal that Sarah had prepared earlier that night, I had a very brief shower and headed to bed, making sure to ask if it was okay to use the shower and go to bed, even though Joel tutted at me for doing so. The next morning, Sarah woke me up. She was a larger woman, around fifty as well, with dyed pink hair and a brilliant sense of fashion.

'Morning, Ellie,' She said softly and I smiled.

'Hey,' I mumbled.

'Dinner has been moved until tomorrow – Anya and Elisa decided to go out and get drunk last night so they don't think they'll be well enough to eat tonight,' Sarah sighed. 'You know what university is like,'

'I don't have to gatecrash your family meal,' I said, sitting up and she tutted at me.

'Ellie, you should know by now you are family to us. No one should have had to go through what you did in Ireland, and no one should have nowhere to turn to when they need a family. You practically are my daughter.' I smiled gently. 'I love having you here, I love being able to spend time with you. How about, me, you and Joel all head over into town and grab a Nando's? Just the three of us?'

'Are you sure?' I asked gently.

'Yeah, of course. Get up, get changed then. I'm looking forward to getting a chicken pitta,' she joked before leaving me in the room alone.

I smiled, grabbing my phone on the side to check the time but instead saw fifteen miscalls from Baile leanaí Crann darach and I panicked. Having grown up in a small rural village in Northern Ireland in a care home for disadvantaged children, I was forced to speak Gaelic – a dying Irish language. The name translated to Oak Tree's Children's home, but I didn't like people knowing about my past. They tend to look down on being in a children's home, especially one for _disadvantaged_ children. I panicked as I saw the miscalls.

 _Not now._ I panicked, calling the number as my throat closed.

'Ellie,' The man said and I closed my eyes. 'And why did you not pick up my phone call last night?' He slurred in Gaelic.

'I was asleep,' I replied also in Gaelic.

'Has that ever been a good enough excuse before?'

'No,'

'So why do you think it is now?' He asked and I didn't have an answer. I just closed my eyes and hoped, when I inevitably had to go back to the children's home on my "holiday" break, he didn't beat me or worse now. 'When have you booked your holiday for?' He asked sweetly.

'I haven't been able to book my annual leave from work yet,' I said – mainly because I put it off so much that the deadline was approaching and I knew I could only get one or two days off at a time so it wasn't substantial enough to get a flight to Ireland for.

'Well, I guess I'll just have to visit you then,' He sneered creepily before he hung up the phone and I started to cry.

An hour later, I had got changed and done my makeup to try and hide the massive red patches around my eyes before heading downstairs. Sarah and Joel, who were at the dining room table, looked up at me and both frowned.

'What's up? Why have you been crying, Ellie?' Joel whispered and I burst back into tears. They both immediately came over and hugged me, guiding me down to the table. Sarah put on the kettle as Joel moved his chair closer to mine, rubbing my arm as I leant against him. 'Ellie?' He said softly.

It took another fifteen minutes for them to calm me down and coax some coffee into me, and when I finally came around to being calm they were both looking at me expectantly. They knew roughly what had gone on at Baile leanaí Crann darach in Ireland for fifteen years of my life, but they didn't know everything. How could I even begin to explain?

But they were kind enough to offer their house to me a few weekends a month, they extended their family to include me. They were my family, in a way. I at least owed them a partial explanation as to why I broke down in tears in their house.

'You know roughly what happened when I was in care in Ireland, right?' I said, wiping my nose on my long sleeve t-shirt. Sarah passed me a tissue box and I smiled at it gratefully.

'Yeah?' Joel whispered.

'I wasn't entirely truthful as to what happened there,' I mumbled.

'You said they… they used to… beat you,' Joel mumbled and I cringed and nodded. 'You wouldn't lie about that,' He said, but thankfully he didn't add that he had seen the bruises and the cuts after I came back from my last excursion to Ireland two years ago. I just said I had fallen down a tree and he didn't believe me, but we were only just getting close. He joined the dots together when I said the care homes senior staff used to beat me.

'No, no… I didn't lie about anything. I just didn't tell you the full truth,' I mumbled. Sarah looked up at Joel shocked. She knew I was abused on one occasion, she didn't know it was for a good ten years. This will shock her. This will shock both of them. They wouldn't see me the same, but they deserve to know why I was so fragile.

It took a while for me to work it out of my body. It felt like a secret, woven into my soul that had to be painfully extruded piece by piece, each piece hurting more than the rest. I could see Joel's face from the corner of my peripheral vision, and he went from shock to hatred, to denial, and back to hatred. He hated me. Sarah just gasped and cried with me.

I sat on the kitchen chair, cross-legged, hugging myself and crying heavily as Sarah continued to hug me, also sobbing too. Joel looked mildly shocked as he leant on the chair.

'Ellie,' He said quietly. 'You can go to the police about historical child sex abusers now.' He whispered and I cringed at the word. I knew it was criminal. I knew it wasn't right and I knew it wasn't right. Hell, every time it happened I knew it wasn't okay but I wasn't in control. I cringed, feeling so naked in front of these two people despite being fully clothed. I felt hollow and numb. I was completely embarrassed. I had come to terms with what he did to me when I left Baile leanaí Crann darach but I couldn't tell anyone.

I laughed hollowly.

'Is it still historical if it's still happening?' I asked quietly and the room fell silent. I hugged the dressing gown around me as Joel and Sarah just remained silent.

'You have to go to the police, Ellie.'

'They won't believe me. You know the shocking attrition rates of rape through the court and how many people get sentenced for it. I would be dead before it even gets to court if it got that far.' I shot back.

'You can't keep living like this, you can't let him win,'

'I don't have an alternative, Joel.'

'I'm not going to let you go to Ireland, I will decline your holiday requests. I will decline anything over two days.' Joel said and I nodded.

'I know you will, that's why I've left my holiday until the deadline so I only get a mix and match dates. But he will come over here if I can't make it to him next year. I'd rather it be me than any of the other girls at Oak Tree's.' I mumbled.

'It doesn't have to be anyone if we can get this to the authority,'

'Get it to the authorities and you're handing me a death sentence,' I said and I knew he would be – I had been very strictly warned that if anything ever happened to him and he went to prison or was arrested that he knew gang members nearby that would be happy to finish me off. It's happened once or twice – he phoned me, said he would send me a present. Half an hour later, outside my bedsit door was a parcel.

'I'll work this out,'

'Good luck, I've been trying since university,' I laughed, sniffling at the same time and wiping my eyes.

'I won't let this continue, Ellie. If I can make you trust me enough for one promise, it will be this. I won't let this continue.' Joel said and I studied his face for a second. That much was true; I knew he would do everything in his power to try and get it to end. I also knew he would fail.

'Thank you,' was all I could say.

'Let's go and grab some chicken, then,' He said, getting up and grabbing a baby wipe, gesturing to the inevitable mascara stains down my cheeks.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Due to a crash on the road, we decided to neglect our normal favorite Nando's in the center of the biggest town near us and headed to a smaller village, six miles down a large dual carriageway. We parked up a ten-minute walk away from the Portuguese restaurant, and made the walk slowly chatting happily about random things, none of us want to touch on the dark subject we had moved on from. I knew Joel wanted to ask me more about it, get accounts and so on so he could at least figure out if he could do something, but he didn't want to ask. Sarah was still too shocked to try and bring it up again.

The eatery had only just opened and there were about four tables out of thirty that was already taken. I walked past the ominous men who were hanging around outside and into the queue area, where we were immediately sent to a table and given the menus.

'I'm going to get my normal,' I declared after opening the menu.

'I think I shall, too, get my normal,' Sarah joked.

'Double chicken pitta with corn on the cob and chips?' I said and she nodded.

'Got it in one,'

'I'll go for something new.' Joel said after a while, getting up and taking our three menu's ready to order.

'How are the girls feeling now?' I said, trying to change the subject before it was even brought up.

'Still messes,' She said, rolling her eyes. 'I told them not to go out drinking, though, I told them we had you around this weekend and you hadn't seen them in a while. I was looking forward to a family meal tonight.'

'It's still freshers week, probably,' I said – it was the beginning of October, but university freshers week seemed to last an entire month.

'They're in their third and fourth year!' Sarah laughed. Anya was due to graduate this year with her bachelor's degree and Elisa with her Master's.

'It's always freshers, despite how many years you've been there,' I said. 'Some of the best times came from freshers,' I added and had an immediate twinge in my stomach when I remembered I kept in touch with none of my university "friends". They had all buggered off to do further courses, fall pregnant, or just disappeared off the face of the earth.

'I bet you were a big drinker too,'

'Eh,' Was all I said and she smiled as Joel came back with two colas and an empty glass.

'They don't have your orangey drink you like,' He said and I grinned, taking my cup.

'Disgraceful, who doesn't have Fanta nowadays?' I added as I walked over to the drink dispenser, picking up a tissue to clean my glass. There was a man in front of me. He was quite tall – around six foot two, of a decent build and wearing black jeans and a green hooded jumper with the hood up. I stood behind him in a queue for the machine but got deep in thought.

I almost felt better for telling someone what happened when I was in care. I didn't know how I ended up in care. I was found in a box as a toddler next to a dumpster, half dead. Thanks to a decent NHS at the time, nurses and doctors got me back to health before being placed in the care system. I didn't speak for years, I didn't sing, I didn't really do much. I did read and write incredibly well for my age though. I liked to watch out the window of the several foster homes I had gone too, waiting to be adopted or fostered, and write down what was happening. I wanted to be an author but had no imagination whatsoever. That's when someone suggested becoming a journalist.

After the eighth foster home gave me up due to being "disruptive" and "unwilling to help herself" I was sent to the care home for disadvantaged children in a small village just outside of Dublin called Baile leanaí Crann darach. Its name was proud above the door in cursive and Gaelic, a sign of its time, and it refused to be changed into the English equivalent. As I didn't speak, the seniors there taught me Gaelic before English, physically forcing me to speak. Speak, or get punished. I learned very soon to comply or be beaten up or have hot water thrown over me from the waist down with no clothes on. I was only eleven.

It continued from there; all the other girls, there was five of us – they all went off to school. They were all younger than me and I guess they could have spoken English before being sent to Baile leanaí Crann darach but I was homeschooled. It soon became apparent the seniors took a fancy to me.

When I was thirteen, that's when the touching started. There was the main man in charge and two of his co-workers. It was the main man, the guy who phoned me constantly, who began it. It started off with hugs. Every time I did something good I got rewarded. He then used to make me sit on his lap. It went from there.

Even when I went back as was forced on me, he used to take me aside and keep me to himself for most of the weekend, the co-workers only having a few hours with me before I went back to England, thankfully leaving that life behind me for a while. But as I hadn't gone over there for a while, I knew he would come over to mine sooner rather than later. The idea made me want to cry. I continued to wipe the rim of the cup as the guy turned around and spilt some of his drink down my top.

I didn't even notice, too busy daydreaming.

'I am so sorry,' He said, quickly grabbing some napkins.

'Hmm?' I said, blinking back the tears. The guy looked up at me – I wasn't entirely sure what he looked like as everything was blurry – and he said something to me. I shook my head, unable to hear what he was saying. Gently, he took my empty cup and put it down on the side and softly, ever so softly, took my elbow and led me out the back.

I felt too weak to fight back.

The guy almost knew this place off the back of his hand. He took me into the women's bathroom and locked the main door. I immediately backed myself into the wall.

'No, no there is no need to do that,' I said starting to cry, caught up in my memories. I wiped my tears from my eyes as my heart rate increase tenfold. The guy turned around and looked at me and it took me a moment to realise it wasn't Him for Ireland, but rather the future King of England. I took a double take, then a triple take. It was the future King of England who had just locked me in the toilets at Nando's after spilling his drink down me. It was _also t_ he guy I was employed to write about as a living. Oh. God.

'I am so sorry,' He said to me softly and I frowned, and he had no idea why I was panicking so much, why I was so upset by having a tiny dribble of coke down my top and my jeans.

'It's alright,' I tried to mumble, my voice thick with tears and he just frowned at me, knowing I was clearly not okay.

I had to take a step back and assess the situation fully. I was having a bad morning – I think we can agree to call it a bad morning – and I had gone to Nando's to get some food as soon as the store opened – or around half an hour since it opened. I noticed there were a few couples scattered around but I didn't notice the _Prince of England w_ as in the eatery with us. I had ordered food and then Joel came with my bottomless glass for my fizzy drink. I then walked up to the machine, waited in the queue thinking about my past.

And then it all happened so quick; Theodore turned around and spilt some of his drink on me, I must have seemed sad and he took me into the toilet to clear the mess up I would assume. But – why? Why would he go out of his way to clear this mess up? He's the future King of Great Britain within the future. His Mum was the current Queen, and the literal second she abdicated he would be the King.

And he was in the bathroom with me at Nando's in a small village with the door locked… right.

'It's not,' He said.

'It's a tiny bit of fizzy on a t-shirt, it's completely fine, honestly. Go back to your chicken,' I joked and he smiled softly before he took his jumper off. 'Okay, I said chicken, not…' I mumbled and he smiled again, this time a bit more like a genuine smile. As he took off his hooded jumper, his top underneath rode up and let's just say… holy shit. I knew he had gone on holiday a few weeks back with some of his mates and there were a few topless photos of him published and, just, wow.

'Put it on, it'll cover the stain,' He said and I frowned, holding his jumper. 'It's okay, it's not laced with poison,'

'Honestly, it's fine, it's a tiny mark – I'm going back to Joel's after this. It's not a big deal,' I said, fidgeting with his hoodie in my hand.

'Please don't say your boyfriend will beat me up?' He said slightly shy.

'Joel? No, he's… he's not my boyfriend,' I said, rubbing my upper arm.

'And you're not from around here either, are you?' He said, leaning on the sink. I hesitated before shrugging.

'Ireland,' I said and he looked at me with certainty on his face – almost shocked. He frowned a tiny bit but his eyes almost had a new glow to them. They were bright blue, shining, and his blonde hair was a bit messed up from taking his hoodie off. He was incredibly good looking. And yet we were still talking in the toilet in Nando's,

'You recently moved over?'

'Er, no, a few years ago when I came over for university. I go back there quite a lot, though. See… family,' I said after a bit of hesitation. He just continued to look at me. 'Every year or so, go back for a week when work allows it.'

'Right,' He said. 'And when you go back, you pick up the accent?'

'I guess so.'

'You still have it now.' He said, smiling softly. 'It's cute,' He said before frowning. We just stood there in silence for a while. 'Where do you live now, then? You can't commute back and forth to Ireland each day,'

'Twickenham.' I simply said, looking down at my feet.

'Oh,' was all Theo said before nodding. I shivered slightly and Theo came over to me. I looked up at him and he smiled down at me. 'Put the hoodie on, then you won't be cold anymore,' He said softly as he rubbed my arm.

'That's being weird,' I said as I looked down to track his hand up my arm. He stopped, his palm on my upper arm before he dropped his hand.

'Sorry,' He said softly.

I took a step back and quickly threw on his hoodie. It was quite big on me; a few sizes too big for me. The bottom hem went down to my midthigh and I rolled the sleeves up. I shrugged, allowing the shoulders to settle down on my arms and he smiled at me, very softly and gently.

'Erm, how am I going to get this back to you?' I mumbled as he stood there, our shoes practically touching each other.

'I'm guessing I'll have to have your number. To arrange a pickup,' He said and I smiled softly. 'I mean, if that's okay with you?' He then added formally after.

'Yeah,' I said slightly taken back. He handed me his unlocked phone and I added myself as a contact. 'You… we… should probably go back out. I doubt you're here alone,'

'My brother and sister-in-law to me are outside with their kid, they wouldn't notice how long I've been gone,' Theo added. 'That Joel guy will be wondering where you got to, though,' He said as he walked over to the door, clicking back the lock. 'I'll… text you?' Theo said shyly and I smiled.

'Thank you… for this,' I said, playing with the sleeve of the jumper.

'It's fine,' He said. 'Sorry for spilling my drink,' He said softly before he smiled at me one last time and left the toilet.

I stood there for a second, wondering what the hell had just happened. And then left to go and find Joel and Sarah again.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hiya! Sorry this is quite long but I wanted to really introduce Ellie, her struggle,s her past as well as introduce her to Theo. I know her past is a bit deep but it is an important subject that isn't overly talked about. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I decided to call it an early night at around half ten – quite early for a weekend. Normally, I would treat myself and bury my nose into a book and wouldn't head to sleep until that book was finished but the mental exhaustion of crying earlier had got to me. When we got home, I shoved my phone on charge in the bedroom and went downstairs, helped get the house clean and dinner cooked as well as some cakes for the family meal tomorrow. We then decided, after the family lunch that we would all head to the cinema to watch a film that had just been released.

That night, we decided to watch the prequel to the film, and it was shortly after that I called it a night. I got changed into my pyjamas; a vest top and some cotton shorts and got into bed. Only then I decided to check my phone, scared to see more missed phone calls from Ireland. Instead, I saw a text message from an unknown number. I frowned, squinting at the bright screen which contrasted with the darkness. I opened the message.

 **'Hey, it's Theo. Sorry about earlier x'**

I done another triple take on the message before I smiled slightly. I didn't think he would text me. He was the heir to the Throne. He was a prince. He was royalty. He had everything catered for him forever – not to mention he was the opposite of me. I continued to stare at the message, trying to phantom what to reply.

 **'Honestly, it's okay. It's a tiny bit of drink, it'll come out in the wash x'** I replied, hesitating to put a kiss on the end. It seemed like a thing you'd do with close friends, not someone you met once. You wouldn't put it on the end of an office email. It took him barely any time to reply.

 **'Doesn't mean I won't feel bad about it x'**

 **'It's fine, honestly. What do you want me to do with the hoodie? I can stick it in the post to… Buckingham Palace? X'**

There was a good five minutes of silence in the message conversation and I thought I had blown it and then my phone vibrated.

 **'Keep the hoodie, but if you want to come visit me that's fine too x'**

Was… was he flirting with me? I had never been in a relationship so I wasn't entirely sure if this classed as flirting or not. But then I had to take a step back. I was nothing in comparison to him. Why would a Prince, who had access to some of the most famous, attractive celebrities there is. He had access to other royals from other countries. Why would he settle for nothing?

 **'And how exactly would I go about that? X'**

I tried my best at flirting but clearly, I wasn't doing too good at flirting. Never had come in useful before. I was like a toddler who didn't know how to ride a bike, whilst Theo was some kind of Olympic cyclist. I shook my head in embarrassment as the next message came through.

 **'What time do you finish work Monday? x'** He asked and I raised my eyebrows.

 **'Half five – but you don't know where I work? Shouldn't that be your next question? X'** I frowned.

 **'I'll meet you outside at half five then x'** He said.

 **'You… you still don't know where I work x'**

 **'Will it impress you if I can find out where you work and be outside for half five, Monday? X'**

 **'Kinda, I guess, it won't be too hard though. You have time to do it, so I'll be less impressed x'**

 **'Well, I'll guess I'll just have to prove myself to you half five on Monday outside Drill then x'** He said and I put down my phone for a moment, quite impressed. How the hell did he do that? Did he even know my name? I rethought of the conversation and not once did I ever mention my name. How did he then find out? And then how did he find out where I work? I appreciate that my work is done under a fake name. Well, the name I have now was given to me when I was a toddler, after they knew I would survive when I was in hospital.

I didn't know about my toddlerhood. All I know was, at the age of two and a half, I was found half dead in a cardboard box in a delivery yard at a retail centre. The box was from a large sports retail store, put out for rubbish collection three days previous. When the rubbish delivery came, they realised a box still had something in it. The box was taped closed, so they knocked on the door of the shop and said they don't believe the box was for recycling. It was a few more hours from being taken inside one of the shop workers, a sixteen-year-old girl who had worked in a shop for only four days, until they opened the box. The girl cried and called the police – understandable. An ambulance was called as they thought I had died. They realised I was still breathing, somehow, after all that time.

They rushed me to hospital had to warm me up. It took a while – and by that I mean two weeks – and a bit longer until they woke me up. They gave me a name – Ellie Paisley. Then they tried to get me to talk. Like that was happening. Social services were called. I spent a good year in high intensity therapy trying to get me to talk. Once again – like that was happening. And then I got carted off into my first foster home. And they hated me. And then got moved to the second. And then third. And repeat until I ended up at Baile leanaí Crann darach where I learnt to speak through punishment.

When I got hired at Drill, Joel was assigned to me, my mentor. Most journalists will have a fake surname to keep their business work and their personal life separate. Joel sat me down and asked if I wanted my user tag to have a fake surname – and I knew it was the best way for Him not to be able to find me. So I agreed, and my user tag was Ellie Cole. Plain, simple, and 100% fake.

It was unlikely Theo managed to find me through work, then. I had to give it to him – that was impressive how he did that.

 **'Okay, fine, that was impressive. See you Monday, then. X'**

I put my phone down and fell asleep happy, compared to the normal, nervous cold wreck I am at bedtime.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

The next day passed relatively quick - a mixture of texts from Theo, even though I was still confused why he was messaging me – and a lovely family meal. It got to half nine and Joel was driving to the train station to drop me off, ready to go home.

'You can stay tonight and we can go to work tomorrow together?' He asked and I shook my head. I didn't have any clothes anymore to wear in my bag and I needed a shower.

'It's fine… can I talk to you for a minute, though?' I asked as he pulled up. He frowned and looked at me.

'What's up?' He asked me gently.

'Um, you know when we want to Nando's and I went to the toilet for a while. You assumed I was crying?' I mumbled and he nodded. 'I wasn't. I was waiting to get a drink and this guy turned around and spilt some of his drink. I was still quite upset and he thought I was crying over the spill and he gave me his hoodie and asked for my number. But I realised – you won't believe this – that it was Prince Theo.' I mumbled and he frowned.

'You sure? Like… you recognised him?' He asked me.

'I spend forty hours a week writing about him, yes, I am sure,' I mumbled. He frowned.

'Then what? Did he text you?' Joel asked me and I nodded.

'Yeah, he's meeting me outside of work tomorrow.' I asked and he nodded.

'Right…' He simply said. 'I'm a bit sketchy about this, like, you 100% sure it was him?'

'I know it is. It was him. I dunno why he was in Nando's in that town though,' I said, taking a moment. Perhaps it wasn't him.

'I know Grace's brother lives around here somewhere, I have seen him around. He works in one of the hospitals around here, too. It's possible Grace and Luke was visiting them and Theo tagged along? They've mentioned they're all very close?' Joel said and I nodded.

'Possibly. I'll go, my train is due. Thank you for this weekend, Joel.' I said and he hugged me.

'Been a pleasure,' He said. 'I'll see your normal time for our coffee,' He mocked as I got out the car. I smiled as I walked to the platform. He waited until I had bought my ticket before he done a U-turn and drove off and I sat on the bench by the platform. Four minutes until my train arrived. I held my phone and it lit up. Theo.

 **'You heading home now, then? X'**

 **'Yeah, trains due any minute now x'**

 **'You should have said you were getting the train, I would have driven down and picked you up x'** He text me and I frowned. We had only met yesterday – why would he offer to drive down and pick me up from Joel's house? Why exactly did he care? I had yet to work that out.

 **'It's fine, it's not too far from the station x'**

 **'How far exactly is it? X'**

 **'About a twenty-minute walk x'**

 **'I'll pick you up from outside the station, then. Twickenham, yeah? X'**

 **'No, honestly, it's fine! x'** I protested, getting a bit iffy about meeting up with him again. What if it wasn't the Prince – that would be better, I guess. It would be a hell of a lot better, I wouldn't have to do much extra work and I could almost start to like him. He was extremely kind and nice to speak too; he wasn't too pushy but he kept up a constant stream of conversation. But what if I was correct and it was the Prince? I couldn't like the Prince! I couldn't get myself into that situation.

Theo didn't reply and I sighed. Perhaps I was thinking too much into this. The train stopped at the platform and I jumped on, my bag over my shoulder and the few things I couldn't manage to fold back in was in my hand in a drawstring bag. It took an hour to get to Twickenham station and by the time I arrived it was completely dark outside and it was freezing. I forgot my coat and just had a thin cardigan over my shoulder.

I got off the platform, tucking my phone into my pocket and left the station – sure enough, Theo wasn't outside. I wrapped my cardigan around me a bit tighter and made my way down the street.

'Ellie!' Someone called but I kept my head down. 'Ellie,' I went to turn around as Theo placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped back.

It was the Prince. It was clear as day. He was in a long formal, expensive looking coat and had the hood up but I could see it was him. He frowned as I jumped back. 'You alright?' He asked softly.

'Yeah… yeah, I'm okay,' I whispered even though my heart was beating too fast.

'I said I'd pick you up at the station,' He said, frowning softly but he looked incredible. I knew he was the same age as me – we were born in the same year but he seemed way more mature than I did.

'I didn't think you would, I told you not too,' I mumbled and he came a bit closer, taking my gym bag from my hand. I looked up at him.

'I wanted too,' He said softly and sincerely, meeting my eyes. He smiled slightly, a dimple appearing in his cheek. 'It's dark and cold and raining, you need to get home safely,' He said, his arm going around my waist and he started walking.

'You really didn't need too,'

'Stop protesting,' He told me softly and I froze. That what He used to say to me when…. Yeah. But Theo said it very softly. Theo wasn't him, I had to keep reminding myself. I had to learn to trust people's innocent and caring gestures. It was dark and cold, and he was making sure I made the trip home safely. There was nothing more to think about, Nothing at all. He just wanted to make sure I was okay, and more importantly, I got home safe too.

'Fine,' I said and he smiled. 'But why? I'm not protesting anymore – I just want to know why.' I said and he frowned at me. 'That's a fair question, isn't it?'

'I want to make sure you get home okay,' He told me, repeating my thoughts. 'I care about you. I don't know why I met you just over twenty-four hours ago. But…. I care about you,' He said softly, very softly. I looked over at him and he looked down at me. He was extremely cute. His hair that was always quite fluffy bit but he had very bright blue eyes as he looked down at me. He was cute. 'That's a fair answer, isn't it?'

'Yeah,' I mumbled and he smiled gently.

'Then this is sorted. I am walking you home because I care.' Theo told me as he put his hand on my back as I stopped by a road suddenly. But even when crossing the road he didn't take his hand off my waist. 'I mean, my car is over there – we can drive?' He said and I stopped. 'Don't stop in the middle of the road, you muppet,' He said, gently pulling me out the road as I tripped up the curb and into his chest. He caught me. 'Careful,' He mumbled as he hugged me slightly. 'Come on, I'll drive you home. You look exhausted,'

'Thank you,' I said and he grinned.

'Come on,' He whispered as he held my waist and he gently showed me over to his car. It was on the other side of the station. We hadn't got too far from the station. I started shaking as it started to drizzle. Theo stopped and said something to me and I frowned having zoned out. He quickly shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders, before he went back to holding my waist.

It took about three minutes to walk to his car; a very large black fancy shiny car that was high up off the ground. In the process, it pissed it down. I made it into the car as Theo held the passenger door open for me. I slid in and he made his way into the driver's seat, turning on the engine as he closed the door and putting the heating on.

'You sure you're okay, Ellie?' He asked me gently and nodded. 'Because you're being very quiet and non-responsive. Luke always says that's never a good sign.'

'It's just weird, Theo.' I said and he smiled.

'Why?' He asked, rubbing his hands together.

'By complete mistake, you bumped into me in a Nando's after a spill. Most people would have left it there, Theo, they would have apologised and moved on with their lives. A select few would have given their hoodies. No one would be doing what you're doing now. No one would just drive from… who knows where just to come and pick up someone.'

'I am a gentleman, I wouldn't allow you to walk home in the dark, Ellie.' He said.

'How did you find out my name? I never told you that.' I added and he smirked. 'You said you care, but why? Why me?'

'You really don't get it, do you?' He asked me softly as he looked at me for a second. What was he on about? 'If I say the word Savant to you, anything comes to mind?' I said and I shook my head. What was that on about? He smiled softly as he nodded, leaning behind my chair and grabbing a blanket, gently putting it on me.

'What does it mean?' I asked him and he shook his head.

'Not now, I'll explain it tomorrow.'

'No – now,' I said and he smiled.

'Tell me about your parents, your family,' He said and I took a juddering breath.

'I… I don't have one. I was found in a cardboard box when I was two and a bit. No one came forward to pick me up. Then they played pass-the-parcel with me from care home to foster homes in Northern Ireland until I was old enough to move out and go to university,' I said and he looked over at me in shock.

'Why would someone just give you up?' He asked me shocked and I shrugged.

'Dunno, shall we attempt to find my birth mother and find out?' I joked and he smiled sadly.

'Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up,'

'But you did – I wanna know why you did after mentioning this Savant thing,' I asked and he smiled gently.

'God, you don't miss a thing, do you?' He said. 'You cannot report this though, Ellie, I know you won't, but please. This is a massive family secret on massive proportions. I am trusting you a Hell of a lot here,' Theo said softly and I nodded. 'So, a Savant is a… type of person I guess you'd say. It's genetic, and it would allow someone to have some extra gifts, like access to a certain part of the brain that no one else, or hardly anyone else, can access. It allows everyone to have a certain gift, we call it. A little extra in life.' He explained. 'I believe you are one,' He said.

'Probably not,' I said, trying to let him down gently.

'I'm not done,' He mumbled and I nodded.

'My bad, do carry on,' I said.

'I believe you are one because of you, I dunno if this seems weird, but whenever I'm around you, I'm a completely different people? It's almost like you can filter emotions?' He said and he shook his head. 'It is weird, I know it is, but I'm not the only person who's noticed it. My sister in law to be, Grace, she's very sensitive to things like this. It's her job to notice slight changes in… I can't go too much into that but she's very good at what she does and the second she walked in, she noticed the room seemed so much happier.' Theo said and looked over at me and I just looked at him like he was high on drugs. 'You might not believe it, but has anyone been angry around you.'

'Yup.' I said, flinching about what happened in Ireland. 'It seems ropey, Theo.' I said and he nodded.

'Oh, oh I know.' He said. 'It does sound like ropey bullshit, I know it does. There is a way to prove it but I dunno if you'll be willing to try it,' He bit his lip as his hand found mine and I frowned. Right – why was he holding my hand?

'No, before that, what do you do?' I asked him. 'If everyone has this gift that you were born with, or whatever it was, then surely you'd have one like you claim? So, what can you do?' I said, thinking I caught him off guard. But he replied softly.

'Oh, I can see emotions. Like I know at the moment you're confused, really confused, but you're happy too. And cold. But you're also lowkey really sad, and I don't know why and I don't think you do either.' He said softly, resting his head against the headrest but looking at me. I looked down at my lap. 'That's why I think you are a Savant because you filter emotions. I can see your emotions changing when you're around people. Like in Nando's, the women you were with didn't like her food or something, I could tell she was disappointed. And then you almost absorbed that disappointment and suppressed it.' Theo said and I nodded.

'Okay – you said to test it? How?'

He looked at me. 'So, when you're conceived and you're a Savant, another child is conceived around the same time. It's called Soulfinders. It's like… soulmates but more intense and true, you're destined to be with each other and you make each other better and… yeah,' Theo said softly and I pulled a face. 'Ropey bullshit – I did say it sounded like ropey bullshit,' He joked. 'But everyone who is a Savant is telepathic. They can hear conversations in your head, we would be able to talk to each other telepathically. And if we were Soulfinders, then it would just be incredible and... I can see you're having a hard time believing this, so we will stop it here.'

'Ropey bullshit.' I said and he nodded.

'Humour me and just try – but when we get back to yours.' Theo said as he turned back and turned his car on, which happily purred. I started shaking, pulling the blanket around me before I frowned. The blanket itself was pink and fluffy with small cats on it.

'What a nice blanket for a Prince. Really brings out your status.' I mocked and he laughed, shaking his head as he looked at me with a certain look before he pulled away from the curb.

'It's my nieces, I keep it in the car for her.' Theo said softly.

'Lila?' I asked and he nodded.

'We went to the zoo yesterday, she fell asleep in the back. It's almost a comfort thing, the blanket to her. She gets quite nervous in the car so she has the same blanket. She doesn't release they're all different blanket of the same pattern.' Theo said, shaking his head. 'Easy to fool children,'

'Bless her,' I mumbled. 'How old is she now?' I asked, knowing full well she was three years and four months.

'Three and a bit,' Theo said. 'And their wedding is in a few weeks,' He added. 'But you probably know that doing what you do.' He sighed, looking forward and I flinched.

'Theo, I wouldn't if I had a choice.' I mumbled and he nodded.

'I know you wouldn't. I could tell you felt bad and guilty about it.' Theo said as he put his hand on my knee. 'I don't care about it, nor does Luke. Grace really doesn't care, she has a bet with her brother how many times they can find fake news articles about her.' Theo added, probably knowing I felt uncomfortable. 'A job is a job at the end of the day, Ellie.'

'I feel bad, though.' I said then immediately wondered why. If I cared, it meant I liked him enough to actually care and I had to take a second to think about it. I had to admit to myself that I had always a small crush on Theo – but so did the majority of the UK. He was kind, hilarious, and incredibly good looking and very photogenic. I looked at him as he focused on the road. He was biting his lip gently and a dimple appeared. His blonde hair was quite messy and was very fluffy like he had washed it in the last few hours. I smiled gently – yeah, an understandable crush. But it was more of a celebrity crush than actual feelings. It was a bit more… weird when he was in the car with you driving you home and you had no idea why.

'Don't.' He said ever so softly as he turned around a corner leading to my block of flats.

'Okay – how do you know where I live? And where I work?' I asked.

'Impressive, isn't it?' He said and I just continued to look at him until he gave me the answer. I just stared and he sighed. 'Grace.' He then added softly.

'What about her?' I shot back.

'She found out where you work and where you live for me – so not really that impressive on my behalf,'

'How did she find out?'

'She works in law enforcement, if you're on a watchlist she is legally allowed to track any data that is submitted. I realised I didn't ask your name – which was fine as you added yourself under your name to my phone. Well, you added yourself as Ellie. So she searched your number, requested subscriber details which gave a full name and a billing address. From that, she found where you work. Took her about fifteen minutes on her laptop in front of the television.' Theo said and I looked at him in shock. 'You're not on that watchlist anymore, she took you off when she found out where you live for me.'

'Bit extreme for a hoodie,' I joked and he grinned.

'You can keep that hoodie.' The car went silent for a good five minutes until he pulled up outside my block of flats. He looked out the window and I could see the disdain as he looked at what I called my home. 'This is the correct place, yeah?' he said softly.

'I know it's shit, thank you.' I said and he looked over and shook his head,

'I didn't mean it like that Ellie.' He mumbled.

'I know you didn't.' I said. 'Thanks for the lift.' I said as I unbuckled the seatbelt and pushed the blanket onto the floor with a sharp realisation as to what has happened. I couldn't do this. I couldn't just flirt with the future King of England. I wasn't ready for any kind of friendship with someone of that status. That kind of media and published my face in every single paper would put me at serious life-and-death risk from Him. I knew I wasn't acting rationally but fear took me. If He was at any risk of anyone finding out what was happening, it would be like handing me a death sentence. They all knew where I lived. They could kill me easily. I was small and of a slim build. I wasn't muscular and I didn't know self-defence. They could kill me in seconds, like child's play. I started to panic and shake as I tried to get out the car but got caught in the fabric. I kicked out against it.

'Ellie.' Theo said sharply, turning off the car and getting out as I got out the car, taking my bag. I wanted to escape before then but he grabbed my elbow – only gently – to try and get me to calm.

But I was in a panic; I didn't know it was him. I elbowed him in the ribs as he bent double. Oh, perhaps I did know a bit of self-defence.

'Oh my God, I am so sorry,' I said, covering my mouth with my hands as I backed away. I then pivoted on my heels and ran into my apartment block, up the stairs and with shaking hands I managed to unlock my bedsit and ran straight over to the window – which didn't overlook where Theo had parked.

I made my way over to the bed, a cheap tacky frame that had broken slats under and provided little to no support, and sat on the edge as it creaked. What had I done? Theo had done nothing to hurt me. Really, he did the opposite. He did all he could to try and help me. And all I did in return was elbow him.

What kind of monster had I become?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Not to my surprise, Theo didn't text me that night or the Monday either. I had gone to work like I normally did, did my normal 9-5:30 shift and left, looking around the lobby for him and then outside on the streets but he wasn't there. I waited for an hour, but nothing. I felt foolish for believing he would meet me. I felt even more foolish for believing he might have liked me.

My news report earlier that day came in the form of Theo potentially going on a date with some Latino chick he met when he was abroad on Royal duties – and I wrote the article with a heavy heart. It was only then I realised that perhaps I did like him in a way that I never expected. But he didn't bother messaging me back. My own fault. Don't elbow someone in the ribs who was just trying to help you.

I went home Monday night alone to receive a phone call from Him in Ireland, drunk once again, and asking when my next trip to Ireland would be. I closed my eyes and told him it would be soon, like he expected to hear, and he told me what he would do to me when I got there. It left me shaking and trembling and wondering what I could do. Could I ever really escape his grip? I agreed with Joel – this mess, this entire situation, it couldn't go on. He told me earlier he was going to find a way to keep me safe but it would take time. As my supervisor, he denied my holiday request and sent a formal email tome telling me it had been declined so I could have sent it onto Him to keep him off my back for a while. But it was a temporary solution.

I pulled out my work laptop from my bag and sat with it on my bed and started to research the English criminal justice system. If I reported the abuse, I would be taken to a special clinic where they would examine me all over, take photos, do internal swabs to find out what had happened. I frowned – as the abuse didn't happen within the last week or so, they wouldn't find anything. But I could still report it. Interviews and statements would be given. I would be referred to Victim support, who would offer to change the locks on my door and give me moral support, which I felt would be useless. I might be referred to the UK Protected Peoples Unit, which might relocate me. But I would still go to work like normal, providing another access to me. If I did report, his men would find me and they would kill me.

I then thought about what Theo said – Grace, his sister-in-law-to-be worked in law enforcement. I wasn't too sure in what capacity, but she had enough power to get the details about me for Theo. She might be able to help me. But I had never met this girl, she was going to marry Theo's younger brother, Luke in a matter of weeks. She was going to be married, with a young child, and I had never met her. I'm sure, by the sounds of it, she would risk her job to help Theo – but would that extend to me? I doubt it - and my office had just posted an article about her Friday, saying she was pregnant again. I doubt she would want to help me.

Tuesday rolled around with no messages or anything from Theo. I checked my phone for the what felt the millionth time at half one; the time of Anastasia's disciplinary meeting. Joel and I sat one side of a table, and another member of staff from a completely different department sat beside Joel writing down what was being said. Anastasia sat opposite us, looking annoyed as she slouched in the chair. Joel gently nudged me under the table and I put down my phone.

'You know why you are here, don't you, Anastasia?' Joel asked softly and she nodded.

'I know what I did was wrong.' She said.

'Not only was it wrong, but it was against protocol and it was against the law. You know all stories we print have to be run through the press advisors of Buckingham Palace, and you know the only people who can do that is myself and Ellie.' Joel added.

'I wanted to be known,' she whaled as she started to cry and I rolled my eyes. Joel nudged me again under the table.

'That comes with experience and obeying the rules and protocols set in place. It's not easy to get known in the department you are in due to the strict regulations. You could have filed a transfer application or spoken to Ellie about moving out or even about having more responsibility within the department – none of which you had done.'

'How was I meant to know?'

'You know you can speak to me about these things, Anastasia. You always do speak to me about the different stories you have. You are decent at what you do, you know to send the papers through me to get them published. If you wanted to get known, we could have worked out something. I would have let you publish as a co-publisher. If anything went wrong, it would have backlashed onto me and not you. You wouldn't be in this situation.' I added.

'Please give me a second chance. I won't do it again. Please.' Anastasia begged and I looked at Joel.

'It is out of our hands. We must pass this conversation onto the press editor for Buckingham Palace. They're the ones who decide if you deserve a second change working under Ellie's instructions. If they decide you don't, we'll open your transfer to any units – but they might not be willing to take you. If not, we'll have to terminate your contract.' Joel said softly. 'You can leave, we'll be in contact by the end of the week, and we have to suspend your work until we hear back.'

Anastasia got up and walked out sobbing. The guy who was writing down the conversation was still typing furiously. Joel said the time the meeting was finished and then sulked back in his chair.

'God, she annoys me.' He said and I smiled. 'Speaking of papers, how is your new boyfriend,' He mocked and I shook my head.

'Let's not mention that.' I said and he leant forward and frowned at me.

'Has he hurt you? I will kill him.' Joel said and I rolled my eyes.

'Jesus, Dad,' I joked and he continued to stare at me. 'No, he hasn't hurt me.' I lied. For some strange reason, Theo ignoring me did hurt me. 'Everything is chilled.' I mumbled, checking my phone.

'He's not texting back?' Joel said and I looked over. 'I had two teenage daughters at one point, Ellie, I know the behaviour. Stop looking so surprised.'

'It's fine, my fault.' I said. We hesitated as the guy who was taking the notes said goodbyes and said he would email us both with the notes and so on. Joel watched him leave the room, wait for the door to close before he smiled back at me.

'How did you put off a Prince then? You're impulsively happy and constantly want to make friends – finding it hard to believe you did something wrong to piss him off so much to ignore your text.' Joel whispered, swinging his chair.

'Um… well….' I said as I bit my lip. 'I panicked, he went to grab my elbow and I freak out and elbowed him in the ribs sharp. Rather than apologising, I ran off to my flat.' I mumbled.

'Oh.' Joel said.

'Yeah.' I mumbled. 'I don't blame him.'

'Come on, let's go get a break up coffee then.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

I got back to my tiny office and filled in the lengthy paperwork to send off to the media representor for Buckingham palace about Anastasia. The document was over twenty pages long, longer by the time I had filled in the questions. It asked for everything – stories that Anastasia had written and the published edition, questions as to why she wanted to do it and so on.

Most of the time, though, I spent reading stories that Anastasia had written about Theo. I read an article she wrote when he took Lila down to a duck pond, sat next to her as she fed ducks very happily looking incredible. I just stared at the photos of him grinning at Lila who was sitting on his lap. I realised very quickly that I had started to like Theo. I don't know why. He was just so gentle and caring and I never really had someone who was like that before – not even as a friend.

My phone began to ring and I jumped, thinking it was Theo.

Instead, it was Him.

'Hello?' I said in Gaelic scared.

'So… your holiday has been declined, as it?' He slurred in Gaelic. 'I'm starting to think you don't want to see me, Ellie. You don't want to see your precious father, do you?' He said creepily and I started to cry silently. 'I will drive you back over here if you don't come over willingly.'

'It wasn't enough notice,' I said with a stained voice and he lied.

'Ah, well I will make it enough notice.' He said.

'What does that mean?' I asked.

'Will you try and come back over here for Christmas? They don't open the offices over Christmas so I know you have time off.' He said and I closed my eyes. 'You know you will be punished if you don't come over.' He added.

'I have to be in over Christmas.' I told him honestly and he sighed.

'Okay Ellie. You asked for it.' He said before hanging up and I blinked at my phone. Asking for what? He couldn't just up and leave Ireland – he still had a care home to look after. I tried to clear my mind but nothing worked. I then just carried on with the forms before sending them off. I put on my thin winter jacket, tucking my phone in my pocket, before picking up Theo's coat and rolling it over my arm in case he got the date mixed.

I left the office, hoping to see Theo outside. Of course, he wasn't. I bit my lip to hold back tears before I realised how pathetic it was before I started to walk down the roads leading to the tube station. I wanted someone to be there for me. I wanted someone to talk too. Theo seemed like, eventually, he would be a good enough friend that I would be able to talk too. Joel, as my closest friend, was there for me but he was more of a fatherly figure than a best friend. Someone I could speak too and rely on, but not someone I could call my best friend. Perhaps I was delusional. Eventually, through tube delays, I got on my train home at eight o'clock. I stretched my back on an emptier train than I was used too, realising I hadn't had any food since this morning and little to nothing to drink either.

As I got off the train, I immediately headed down the streets leading to my house. I got about half way there with headphones in listening to music when I sensed a car pulling up beside me. Scared, I ignored it, not even bothering to look at the car. I turned my music up. The car then pulled away. A few minutes later there was a hand on my shoulder.

I turned around, jumping and saw Theo standing there. I jumped back and Theo frowned at me, wondering why I had reacted in such a way.

'What the Hell do you think you're doing?' I told him and I frowned.

'Are you okay? I've been looking all over for you.' He said breathlessly and I frowned. I looked behind him and I thought I could see his car parked up on the other side of the train station. He must had run down to find me. He must have been in the car that pulled up earlier.

'What?' I asked. 'Why are you here?'

'Have you been home yet?' He asked me and I shook my head.

'I just finished – why are you here?' I repeated before handing him his coat. 'You never replied to my texts, Theo.'

Theo looked up at me, taking his coat and immediately sliding his phone out of the coat pocket. 'You had my phone, that's why.' Theo said softly. 'I tried to catch you yesterday but I didn't know which apartment you lived in. I tried again to find you today, but… I kept driving around to find you. Nobody knew where you were. We were all trying to find you…'

'Find me? What? Who else was looking for me?' I asked.

'Me, Luke, Grace, the police…' He said as he looked at me.

'The police? Why? What have I done?' I mumbled in shock. He gently put his arm around my shoulder, guiding me back to the car. I frowned up at him as he looked down at me.

'Your block of flats is on fire.' He said softly.

/\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hiya

I know this is a bit of a short chapter, but I wanted to try and get some more chapters with Theo and Ellie in together so you kinda know and like each of the characters. It will all explain itself - but please review and tell me if you like it or not and what you want to see the characters do/become if that makes sense!

Have a good day! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I don't know how I ended up here – not that I was entirely sure where "here" was – but the next thing I was aware of was sitting on a very soft plush sofa in a warm place. I could remember dribs and drabs. I could remember Theo leading me back to his car then driving me away from the area. Soon, the car was surrounded by police cars with their lights on. We pulled into an underground car park, where Theo gently coaxed me out of the car and into a lift, his arm around my waist the entire time, down a few very long corridors before he unlocked a door. He led me in, sitting me down on the sofa.

Soon, there were two new people in the room. I recognised them both; it was Prince Luke and his fiancé Grace Williams. They stood there for a second, both talking to Theo. I didn't know what he said. After a small conversation, Grace and Theo left the room and Luke came over and sat on the sofa next to me.

'Ellie?' He said softly and I looked over at him. 'I'm Luke.' He said and I nodded.

'I know.' I mumbled and he smiled.

'I'm just here to make sure you're okay and well, will that be okay for you?' Luke said softly.

'Why do I need to be checked over?' I asked him, frowning. He looked exactly like his older brother but had somewhat of a childish charm to him. I couldn't work out why – he has slightly chubbier cheeks but not by much. He was a bit taller and seemed to work out more, but there was an ever so gentle manner to him. His paramedic mannerisms.

'Because you've been unresponsive for the last three hours.' Luke told me gently.

'How long?' I asked and he nodded, smiling softly.

'You weren't at the fire, were you?' He said. He had a bag on him and he pulled out a stethoscope.

'There was a fire.' I almost stated. Theo mentioned a fire. 'No, no I had just got off the train from work.' I said and Luke nodded.

'Do you mind if I just check your lungs? It means I just have to touch your chest.' Luke said softly and I nodded. 'Just… breathe in for me.' He whispered. I did what he said as he moved the stethoscope around, checking my lungs. I closed my eyes, hating people touching me. Luke must have noticed. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah,' I whispered through a strained voice. 'I just… don't like people touching me.' I mumbled.

'I can get Grace if you'd like?' He said softly. 'She'll be next to useless but it might be easier for you?'

'No, no it's fine.' I mumbled and he nodded. He pulled out a tiny flashlight type device and shone it into my eyes after asking me to open each eye and consider the light. He put it away and seemed satisfied. He then checked my pulse and my blood pressure and just sat back on his haunches.

'Is it all good?' I asked as he didn't say anything.

'Yup, all fine. You can tell you're panicking and you got very tight chested near the end.' He said softly. 'You're calming down now,' Luke said.

'Yeah,' I whispered, closing my eyes knowing that Luke wasn't Him. I was safe here. I had questions – oh so many questions, I was confused, tired, cold and hungry but at least I was safe. I closed my eyes and I don't know long I had my eyes closed for. Eventually, there was a knock on the door. I didn't open my eyes to see who it was, and no one spoke. I heard people moving around and someone sat down next to me. I opened my eyes to see it was Theo, who put his arm around my waist. Grace was sitting in front of me. She had blonde hair tied up and she was sitting on the footstool. She looked over at Theo, then over at Luke before looking at me.

'Ellie?' She said incredibly softly – so much so it took me off guard. 'I'm Grace,' I smiled at her softly. 'Um, do you know anything about the fire?'

No wonder why she was such a good mother; she had that perfect caring tone nailed down. The tone that makes you want to listen and obey her but also calm you down at the same time. I still didn't know what fire they meant. Theo told me the block of flats was on fire and they believed that I might have been trapped inside, and they brought me here to get me checked over and keep me safe. They haven't yet told me why I needed to be _kept safe._ I shook my head.

'You live at number ninety-eight, don't you?' Grace said softly and I nodded. She looked over at Luke who got up and left the room. He came back with a box of tissues and I frowned. 'When Theo called us both, there was a fire in one of the upper floors of the flat. The firefighters have managed to establish it started on the far right side of the building – in any of the flats from number ninety-five to ninety-nine. We can't establish yet if the fire started as faulty wiring or something more sinister.' Grace said softly and I looked down at my feet.

I didn't need to think about it too much. He wanted to send me back to Ireland, said I have asked for it and would force me back there. Set fire to my home, everything I had was in there, he doesn't know I have other friends. He thought that if he could set my home on fire then I would have nothing and flee back there. I teared up and Luke handed me a tissue as Theo's hand rested on my back. They both just thought I was upset. But I looked up at Grace, who was still sitting in front of me with a small frown on her face.

'Er, fancy giving us a second.' She asked Theo.

'Why?' Theo shot back.

'Wasn't a question.' Grace added quickly. Luke was up and moving the second Grace asked, and Theo was hesitant before getting up. The brothers left the room, closing the door behind them. I looked up at Grace frowning as she made sure the door was closed before moving the footstool closer a bit.

'There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?' She said softly and I looked down at my feet. 'Whatever it is, it won't get you in trouble and it could be key to the investigation.'

'I didn't start the fire if that's what you're asking,' I mumbled to my feet.

'No, I didn't mean like that Ellie,' She laughed gently. 'Its just, when I said it's probable the fire started in your bedsit you weren't that shocked. You didn't go to think about if you left the straighteners on or if it was the kettle or faulty wiring. You looked like you knew what it might be.' Grace said and I had to give it to her, she was observant.

'What is it you do job wise?'

'MI5.' She said simply and I looked up in shock. 'I work on the high-profile cases, sometimes as a behavioural psychologist. The other times using my gift to link it all together – I know Theo told you about Savant's so if he trusts you, I trust you.' She said. Another mention about Savant's and I still had no idea really what it is. Theo told me some stuff but I didn't believe him – but I had to admit Grace was quite talented. A lot more than what my research into her had shown.

'Is that how you got my information?' I asked.

'Yup.'

'Oh, that's cool.' I said and she smiled. 'So when I was looking at my feet, you knew I was thinking about it.'

'Yup, you were scared but not because you've learnt your flat has been in a fire – but fear because of your life.' Grace said. 'I get you might not want to say it in front of the boys, so I sent them out. But you must trust me. I won't tell them if you don't want me too. But I need to know why you acted like that and whether you need to be put under protection. I can do so anonymously, but I need to know why.'

I shivered. 'Do I have to tell you everything now?'

'The important stuff, and not everything now if it's not overly relevant, but I will need to know eventually to know what kind of protection you need.' Grace said softly.

'I think I know why the fire was started,' I said, looking over at the door that was closed still. I took a deep breath. 'I was fostered in this really rough care home in Northern Ireland until I moved out to go to university. I was abused there.' I mumbled looking at my feet. 'The main worker wants me to go back there but I don't for obvious reasons so I got my holiday request cancelled. He got annoyed and said he would do something to make me go back to Northern Ireland. He said I called for it and hung up. That was only a few hours before I left work.' I told Grace. 'When did the fire start?'

'Two hours before you turned up at the train station. What time was that call?' Grace said and I dug my phone out my pocket.

'Er, half five.'

'It could be that then.' Grace said and looked down at the floor. 'I'll get you into a programme in the morning. Theo said you can stay here with him in a different room until the morning. We've called into the office already and said you won't be coming in.' Grace said and I nodded.

'Where am I?' I asked and she frowned slightly.

'Buckingham Palace.' She said and I sat back looking at the décor in the room. It looked like a modern flat with minimalistic wooden flooring and cream and white walls. Not what I expected the Palace to look like. 'I know, freaked me out the first time around as well. The boys have their own little – I say little – house within the Palace. Go out the door and it's back to oldy walls and red carpets.'

'Right…' I said.

'Do you want me to tell Theo?' She asked and I shook my head.

'No – no please don't.' I begged and she held her hands up.

'That's chill. I should probably get back to Lila now. I'll be around in the morning and will work with you to put you on a programme and I'll make sure the boys are out so we can discuss it properly. Will that be okay with you?' She asked and I nodded. I hated the idea but this was serious. We had to do something about it. 'Luke,' She called a few seconds later her husband-to-be came through the door. 'You ready to go?' She asked.

'Yup.' Luke said. 'Now to find our daughter.' She said. Theo appeared behind him leaning against the doorframe.

'Was Mum looking after her?' Theo asked him and Luke nodded. 'Oh, God. She could be anywhere.'

'Yup. And she knows it's past her bedtime.' Luke said back, pulling his shirt down. 'So she'll be running around the Palace, hyperactive, thinking she can get away with it.'

'Yeah, you can find her.' Grace said frowning at him.

'Why do I have to chase her,' Luke said and Grace just gave him a look. 'Fine.' He said and Theo just frowned at him.

'You've turned soft,' Theo joked and Luke just shrugged.

'If you need me, Ellie, my number is on the whiteboard in the kitchen. I'm up all stupid hours now and I'm staying just down the hallway – if you need anything, call me, okay?' Grace said and I nodded. I could almost see her as a friend. She was incredibly easy to talk too. She got up and smiled at me. 'Luke, find your daughter.' She gestured him out the room.

'Our daughter,' He corrected, kissing her as he walked past. Grace followed him as they let themselves out. I then looked over at Theo, who was looking at me concerned.

'I'm sorry.' I told him and he frowned.

'For what?' He said back, sitting next to me. It was a few seconds later then he put out his arm and I fell into his chest. He hugged me to his side, somehow moving the blanket without touching. I was too tired to really mention it or question how the hell he had done that.

'For elbowing you, being a general bitch.' I mumbled.

'Ellie, honestly, it's okay. You were scared.' He said back softly.

'I stole your coat. And your phone.'

'You didn't steal them.' He laughed. 'You carried them around to give them back to me. Don't see shoplifters doing that.'

We sat there in silence for a while, but the pressure was too much.

'What am I going to do?' I almost asked myself and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

'You can stay here as long as you want. I can take you to work, pick you up. We'll work something out – Grace seems to be helping with the investigation and she's incredible at what she does. You're safe.' Theo said and I sighed. He has no idea. I just sat there silent.

I must have fallen asleep on the sofa with Theo's arm around me as the next time I woke up, I was half asleep in what looked like a bedroom. I was lying down on top of the duvet on my side. The room looked immaculate and continue the look of a minimalistic bachelor pad. I could see four shelves on the wall in front of me, all with books on and a few photo frames. My phone was on the bedside cabinet on charge. I reached forward and checked the time; half-past twelve.

'Ellie?' Theo said and I frowned, rolling over. He too was sat on top of the duvet, reading a book. He looked over at me.

'Hey.' I said softly, forcing myself to sit up.

It then hit me then as the shock wore off how much danger I was in. He knew where I lived. He set my house on fire so I had nothing left anymore. I had no home, no personal items apart from what was on me. He wanted to drive me back to Ireland. And if I didn't, I could guarantee I would most likely be dead within the next week.

'Hey, don't cry Ellie.' Theo whispered as I covered my eyes. He edged over slightly and put his arm around my shoulders. I rolled into him slightly and he hugged me tighter, kissing my forehead as he tried to get me to calm down. 'It's okay, we'll sort this out. I'll make sure everything is okay. I'll make sure you're safe.'

'You can't, Theo. I'm never safe,' I cried.

'You will be.'

'No, no, you can't. It's not that simple.' I said and Theo sighed. Instead of arguing he just calmed me down. It did take a good fifteen minutes for him to calm me down, and by that point, we were basically laying down.

I looked at Theo as he just continued to look at me, his hand on my waist – almost like it belonged there now. 'I promise you now, Ellie, I won't let anything happen to you.' He said softly.

I sighed and he knew I had more on the subject to tell him. 'You don't have to tell me why, but I will do what I can to keep you safe Ellie.'

I don't know why I trusted him so much. I had met him a few days ago, spoken to him in a casual way but here I was, in his bed at a stupid time in the morning after just meeting his brother and his brother's girlfriend. His brother's girlfriend has agreed also to help me without so much of a flicker of her eyelids. And not Theo was agreeing for some reason to also help me. I looked down, not meeting his eyes and I told him all about my childhood.

I didn't bother meeting his eye during the entire story. I played with the duvet cover as I told him about the first few days in Baile leanaí Crann darach. I told him how He approached me, he threatened me and how he punished me. I then continued to tell him what happened until I left aged 18 but how I got forced to visit him to the terror to continue for a week until I could leave. I told him about what he told me on the phone earlier.

Theo didn't judge. He held me tight, one arm was around my shoulders and the other around my waist. I was leaning into his chest as he kissed my forehead.

'I won't let him hurt you anymore.' He told me gently.

'What are you going to do to stop it?' I snapped back and took a deep breath. 'Sorry.' I whispered.

'Don't worry about it.' Theo told me kissing my forehead again, pulling the duvet up on me. I was still very much lying on his chest, wrapped in his arms as he did so. I frowned as he made sure I was covered by the duvet. 'We can work something out. Does Grace know?'

'No.' I told him and he nodded. 'She knows I was abused and she knows He probably started the fire, but she doesn't know I was… you know.' I said and he rested his head against my forehead. 'She said she'll work with me tomorrow – well probably today now – to work some kind of protection scheme out.'

'She'll find a way. She's very meticulous working through everything and she might take a day or two, but she'll know what to do.' Theo said. 'Try and get some sleep.'

I closed my eyes but my mind was racing – so many other things were going through my mind that it almost felt numb. I was overthinking everything but I couldn't overly focus on one thing, so my brain almost gave up. It wasn't long, tucked up in Theo's bed with his arm around my waist and the other on my upper arm, his fingers tracing patterns on my arm, that I fell asleep.

The next day I woke up lying on my side and I knew Theo was lying behind me. I could feel him and felt his arm across my waist again. A clock which was hanging on the wall displayed it was half nine and I panicked I was late for work and promptly remembered they had already called into the office on my behalf telling then I would not be in.

'Ellie?' Theo said softly as he gently rubbed my waist. 'Are you awake?'

'Yeah.' I whispered. And then I realised what was happening; I was in bed with the future King of Great Britain. Sure, I wasn't in bed in _that_ fashion but I was literally speaking in bed with him. And he was spooning me – right. I rolled over in his arms and was face to face with him. He smiled softly at me.

There was something different about him in the morning – something that was ever so gentle. His blonde hair was fluffy and unkempt and there was a caring quality to him like he wouldn't hurt a soul. It was almost like this was the real Theo, and the one that the media, and myself, I guess, would show was a completely different almost fake side of him. He continued to look at me, his eyes a lovely bright blue colour with a hint of hazel in the middle.

'Thank you for all of this.' I whispered to him, mildly surprised by how close we were. I wasn't shocked, but I was more surprised I wasn't completely uncomfortable by the closeness either. It almost felt like I was at home. Theo lifted his hand and brushed some of my hair from my face as he smiled gently.

'Not a problem,' Theo whispered back.

Very slowly, he gently ran his finger down the side of my face with a small smile on his face before moving towards me. Before I could really clock what was happening we were kissing. Only gently and for a few seconds before he pulled away.

'Sorry… I should have asked.' Theo said and I gently kissed him again wondering what exactly had got into me.

'Now we're equal.' I said and he grinned at me.

'Fine, fair enough. I'll ask next time then.' He joked.

'What I told you last night, well this morning, it doesn't change anything… does it?' I asked and Theo shook his head. 'Thank you,' I mumbled, knowing he had no idea how much that meant to me. I always assumed I was a dirty, tainted person who people would hate once they found out. But that wasn't true.

'Has anyone changed their opinion of you because of it?' Theo asked.

'No one really knows apart from you and Joel.' I said, biting my lip. 'And the other girls at the care homes knew as well. He only abused me, as far as I know. I never told anyone.' I mumbled as he held me in his arms.

'You never reported it?' He asked and I shook my head.

'If I did, he would have killed me.' I said. 'The fire was caused by him because I didn't book my annual leave quick enough to get time off to go over to Ireland.' I told him and he gently kissed my forehead. 'I can't escape it.' I whispered.

'I will do all I can to protect you,' He said, hugging me tightly.

'Why? Why do you care this much?' I asked him as I look up at you. Theo just looked down at me with a slight frown.

'Because I like you, Ellie.' He whispered and I raised my eyebrows. What did he say?

'What?' I whispered and he smiled at me.

'I really like you, Ellie, that's why I care.' Theo said to me. 'Come on, I'll make breakfast.' The decided after I remained silent for a few seconds. Theo was only in some boxers and I raised my eyebrow at his toned chest. 'I'm excellent at making pancakes.' He said walking through the door and I frowned before getting out of bed.

What had just happened? I thought to myself as I ran my finger over my lips. Theo just kissed me and then told me he liked me. And then said he was making breakfast. Right. I shook my head and decided to go with whatever was happening. I learnt the hard way not to protest. But around Theo, I felt safe and had yet to work out if that meant I liked him, trusted him or just trusted his status knowing he probably knew some of the most powerful people in the World.

I left the room and looked around; the entire house he had beautiful; white walls and lovely oak-looking floors with fancy looking doorways. There was a staircase to the left of me that stopped midway down and turned in a 90-degree angle. I anxiously walked down the stairs, hugging myself but I could hear clinking. The staircase opened out into a hallway with similar décor to the rooms upstairs, with black furniture. There was a fancy-looking door, I could only assume the front door, directly in front of me, a door to the direct left of it, and an archway down to my left-hand side. There was a single door on the right where I heard banging. I jogged down the stairs and went over to the right-hand door which opened out into a lovely looking kitchen with black marble worktops with an island in the middle. Theo was opening cupboard grabbing a bag of flour and then a measuring jug. Without really looking in my direction, he tapped the worktop on the island.

'Have a seat.' He said with a smile on his face. I walked over to the counter and jumped up elegantly.

'Tell me about your childhood, then.' I said and he frowned as he got out a mixing bowl, brushing my leg in the process.

'What do you wanna know about it,' He questioned, pausing to look at me.

'Anything – everything.' I changed my answer and he frowned.

'Alright then.' Theo said as he got out a sifter from the cupboard above my head, gently holding my waist as I ducked. 'I was born March 2nd with no complications – or none that I was really aware off – and was allowed home the next day. As per usual, there was loads of crowds outside the hospital, loads of cheering apparently. Obviously, I cannot remember that. I had quite a happy childhood until the age of four. I don't really remember most of it but there were photos of me travelling the world with Mum and Edward. America, Canada, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Kenya… I was always in those weird shorts that I had to wear and a button up shorts.'

I knew he did, I had seen some photos of him, the absolute model child, with blonde hair blue eyes and a cheeky grin it was no wonder why everyone loved him.

'Luke was born when I was four and I _hated_ him,' Theo said and I did a double take. Theo and Luke had always been inseparable, even now. 'Yeah, I know. I had my parents to myself and then suddenly I had to share with this little crying thing who threw up on me the first time I held him. Mum had to explain to me that he was just a baby and he didn't know what he was doing. I eventually grew to love my kid brother and we started to get on. I went to a private nursery, then a private infant school and then a slightly less private junior and secondary school where I met some decent people. It was cheaper term-time costs so I met more people who were genuinely less snobby than previous. This was mixed with the odd weekend Royal tour and so on.' He said mixing the pancake batter.

'I always grew up with media constantly there and I hated them for ages until I was about twenty-one – so pretty recently.' He said and I swallowed and he looked at me and he must have seen the look on my face. 'I realise now it's a job that people have to pay the bills and it's just their job and not personal opinions. You're fine, Ellie.' He said softly, kissing my cheek before heading back to the pancake mixture. 'So when I grew up cameras were always there. Went to a dinner party – cameras. Went to school – cameras. It was a part of life so I had to always be behaved. I couldn't really rebel and I was always prim and proper for the cameras like it had been drilled into me. I grew up very shy and introverted so I always looked very well behaved.'

'Luke was the one to rebel first and I kind of followed in my kid brother's footsteps and, yeah. I have done a few tours abroad in the army, never got hurt, had to give it up for Royal shit even though I loved doing it. It was when Luke got hurt that I realised how dangerous it was and how much it upset Mum. I always got one really well with Mum and never really too well with Edward.' I wondered why he referred to his father, the old King, as Edward.

King Edward divorced Queen Caroline about four years back, Edward lost his Royal status and disappeared very quickly after, never really to be seen again. There were no photos of him meeting his granddaughter and it'll be extremely interesting if he turned up to Grace and Luke's wedding.

'Family secret time?' Theo said, handing me a perfectly made pancake I had just watched him make. He grabbed a fork for me and handed it to me. I nodded. 'So, Grace and Luke only met nine months before Lila was born, not two and a bit year before.'

'Right…' I said, all of this being new information to me. I guess that's what they meant by family secret time.

'So, Grace was hired out of university at her graduation ceremony to come and investigate some unexplained deaths within the Palace. She met Luke the second they found each other they knew they were Soulfinder, they got together and eventually grew to be inseparable. Then she was kidnapped after finding out she was pregnant. We found Grace a few weeks later and they had planted something in her mind for her to hate Luke. A few weeks of recovery later, they managed to wipe the mind. Fast forward on, Mum and Edward divorced, Lila was born with complications, took her home. The attacks in London – Luke, Grace and Lila were all kidnapped. I was in a hospital for a while after, but eventually, we found Lila and Grace in a quarry in Scotland. She confirmed that it was Edward who had kidnapped them.'

'What.' I said and Theo nodded.

'We got Luke out of Edward's hell but Edward wasn't there. Grace was sent back down to her friend's house to keep her safe but Edward was actually following her at all times, and went to shot Lila.' Edward wanted to shoot his own granddaughter? She was just a baby at the time – a few months old. 'Grace jumped in front of the gun and got shot in the lung, caused massive damage.'

'Oh my God.'

'It was hit and miss for a while but she's a fighter and, well, you met her yesterday.' Theo said.

'Wow.' I said as I finished my pancake.

'Yeah, really kicked off a few years ago.'

'What happened to Edward?' I asked and he sighed.

'Um, Grace's best friend shot and killed him after he shot Grace. No one knows that, though, or Mycelia will be prosecuted for murder.' Theo said, with only the hint of sadness in his voice.

'I am so sorry,' I said and he shook his head.

'Don't worry about it, Ellie, I never really considered him as a father figure and after he buggered off I didn't really care about him anymore.' He said, sighing before he flipped the pancake. He came over to lean on the counter to the side of me. He left his hand on my leg.

'Ever since then it's been really trying to make it up to Grace and Luke. I felt like because I never noticed the signs of my father's abuse, it was almost my fault. As his older brother, I should have been there to protect him. He's my kid brother, it's my job as the older sibling to protect him, and protect his girlfriend slash fiancé. I didn't do my job.' Theo said looking at the floor.

'You weren't to know though, Theo.' I said, frowning. He looked up at me. 'How was it ever possible that you were to know? Sure, you're meant to protect your siblings and I know you and Luke are close – very close – but you weren't to even fathom your father would do something like he did.' I explained. Theo smiled. 'You don't have to make it up to them, there's nothing to make up. I'm sure they don't blame you for anything.' I whispered.

Theo gently brushed my cheek with his finger.

'You're sweet, you really are.' Theo said softly. With me on the counter and him slouching down slightly we were near enough the same height. He leant forward and kissed me gently again.

'Theo, what's going on between –' I went to ask as he darted off to serve the pancake. I paused to watch him.

'Sorry?' He said realising he interrupted. He served me another pancake before he poured some more pancake batter in the pan.

'What's going on between us?' I asked.

'I dunno, Ellie.' He said, sighing. 'I really like you but I'm not going to force you to do anything or into a relationship. You, at the moment, have too much going on at the moment to think properly.' Theo said. 'Why, what do you think is going on?'

'I dunno.' I whispered, looking at my feet. 'I like you too but… I dunno.' I whispered. 'Like, you're a Prince so surely there's rule against that or something.'

'Nope.' Theo said. 'Look, don't worry about it now. We'll work it out, alright?' He said. I had yet to work it out how we work it out – there was too many things to take priority before a relationship, including how to keep myself alive. But Theo wasn't high up on my list of priorities.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

We eventually sat down at the table in the dining room, continue to talk. We didn't speak about the major issues; we never mentioned the fire or the care home in Ireland, and we didn't mention anything about a relationship. It was almost calming, I felt calmer than I had in a while. It got to about eleven o'clock when we heard a knock at the door. Theo got up, explaining it would be Grace and Luke, as he opened the door. I sat in the chair still, fiddling with my hands in my lap.

There was some conversation in the doorway that I couldn't hear, and I kept staring at the doorway. Eventually, a toddler comes walking over. I knew it was Lila; Luke and Grace's three-year-old child. She stopped in the doorway, freezing as she looked over the doorway. Someone must have said something to her from the adult talk and happily toddled in.

'Hello!' She said, hugging her toy in her arm.

'Hi,' I replied shyly but she didn't appear to have noticed. She was seriously adorable; she had blonde hair that fell below her shoulders and bright blue eyes and adorably chubby cheeks. She walked over to the chair and climbed up, sitting at the table with me.

'I'm Lila.' She said to me, the fearless way toddlers do.

'I'm Ellie.' I said and she nodded.

'This is my teddy, he's called Sam.' She said, showing me the teddy. I smiled at her. She fiddled with the arm of the teddy before frowning. 'Wait! Mummy got you a present!' She said, jumping off the chair and running out. I heard her talk to someone, probably Grace, in the hallway and then there was a dragging sound.

'Lila,' I heard Grace say loudly and the dragging noise stopped for a second. And then it started up again as she came around the corner with a bag around the same size as her. I got up and went to help Lila. When I got to her side she proudly held up the handles of the bag.

'What's this?' I asked her, bending down to speak to her on her level.

'We went shopping for you!' She said proudly. 'Take a look!'

Shyly, I opened the zip on the bag and sure enough, the bag was filled with clothes, all of which looked to be my size or a tiny bit bigger. I quickly looked through the bag amazed; there were several pairs of jeans in there, a few pairs of shoes included branded shoes, about eight tops neatly folded and some work-like dresses and formal clothes. My mouth dropped – they went shopping for me? I suppose I didn't have any clothes now and would probably be classed as homeless but… but I got too panicky the second I thought about the fire. Any thought deeper than surface level I got scared about the implications and went into a panic mode. And whilst I felt safe here, I didn't feel safe enough to panic and break down here.

'Oh my…' I said, tearing up.

'I hope you wouldn't mind,' Grace said from behind me and I jumped and turned around. She was in a pair of jeans and a dark grey baggy tshirt, her arms crossed. 'I knew Theo wouldn't have any clothes that would fit you properly, we went out earlier and went shopping for you.'

'How did you know my size?' I asked, and she simply dismissed it.

'I used to work in a shop that sold clothes and shoes for a few years. I got very good at estimating shoe size and clothes sizing. The receipts are in the bag if it is the wrong size, but I think I did alright.' Grace said, and I teared up. 'And don't bother attempting to pay me back, Theo had already done so.'

'Why?'

'I don't know, he's weird – ask him.' She said. 'Do you want to go and get changed?' Grace said as she knelt as Lila stood by her feet looking up at her expectantly. She picked up her toddler daughter and rested her on her hip.

'Thank you,' I whispered, amazed at her kindness. I took the bag, resting it on my shoulder as I headed upstairs to the spare bedroom, where Theo told me I could stay if I wanted too. I wasn't entirely sure why he was offering his house to sleep but I guess I didn't have anywhere else I could stay. I'm sure Joel would offer me a room, but I felt too bad staying there and it was too much of a commute.

I turned right as I headed up the stairs, went down the corridor and into the spare bedroom before I dumped the bag on the bed. I went about unpacking the bag – laying everything out on the bed. I was amazed at how well of a job Grace had done. The nine shirts, all of them different colours, were in my size correctly. There were a few camisoles too, and a few jumpers and zip-through hoodies – all of which were from Primark. However, I did spot a few Nike items thrown in the mix and I knew they weren't available cheap. The jeans – four pairs, two dark blue, one grey and one black – looked to fit perfectly too and were the correct leg length as well. I blushed as I pulled out underwear and bras in the correct size – how she managed to guess that was also incredible and slightly embarrassing, but I realised her job probably relied on good memory and judgement which would explain it. There were a few dresses which I left in the bag as I pulled out the four boxes of trainers that lined the bottom of the bag. A pair on converse in a skinny box, some vans, and two Adidas boxes and my mouth dropped – all of them were in the correct size.

Realising I couldn't just stay in my room forever, I quickly changed my clothes into the new wardrobe; a plain shirt and a pair of blue jeans and a grey hoodie and the pair of white Converse, running a hairbrush through my hair and tying it up. I took a deep breath before I headed back downstairs. I heard Theo and Luke talking in the kitchen quietly, but the door was pulled too and they didn't appear to notice me.

As I turned the corner heading into the dining room, I stopped as I noticed Lila sitting on Grace's lap colouring. Grace was showing her where to colour and the toddler, with her tongue sticking out, followed her lead. Obviously, Grace noticed the second I came around the corner and smiled at me.

'Did everything fit?' She asked.

'I think so.' I said shyly, and I smiled. 'Thank you.'

'Don't worry about it.' She said. 'Lila, can you take your colouring book and pencils and go and find Daddy?' She asked her daughter and Lila happily nodded, grabbing her book and pencil case to her chest. She kissed her mother's cheek before happily wandering out the room.

'She's so cute.' I whispered as she turned the corner happily, smiling to herself.

'Oh, she's not normally that cute. She's quite the devil really.' Grace said. She gestured to the chair next to her. 'Cannot wait until she's slightly older and actually respects going to bed on time. Last night we didn't find her for a good half an hour because she was running around all over the Palace.' Grace said shaking her head.

'I thought you said Luke was finding her?' I asked.

'Oh, yeah he was. I was quite happy inside – principle stands, Lila went to bed at, like, half ten. And she was still up at half six in the morning.' Grace said, shaking her head. 'They always say the first two years is the worst for sleep but honestly, no one does it say "Oh, your child will be up before the sun does and she is just constantly excited.'

'Bless her.'

'Hey, if you want to look after her for a night, Luke and I will be forever grateful.' She joked, getting out her laptop.

'I'd love too.' I said and Grace just grinned.

'Honestly – you'll regret that decision, but I will hold you too it.'

'So, what was it you were doing?' I asked her nervously.

'Trying to get you in a protection programme and sort out everything about the fire.' Grace said softly. 'Everything you tell me will remain anonymous and will only be passed onto the relevant authorities for the protection programme. We do have quite a while; the boys are going to take out Lila in an hour or so – take her out for the morning and afternoon.' Grace said softly. 'But… but you do have to be honest with me. I promise you I won't judge, I promise I won't go and tell Luke after, or tell Theo, I will write it down, deal with it later when I'm alone.' She said and I nodded.

I took a deep breath. I knew I had to open to try and get this sorted. Joel was correct - I couldn't live like this forever. It would have to come to an end. And now was a good place to get it all to stop. I looked up at Grace through my lashes as she sat there, almost quite shyly, waiting for my reply. She was in a cotton shirt and jeans too – she was a completely normal person. I realised that quite early on, in all honesty. When I was talking to her yesterday, she was a normal person. She wasn't like Luke and Theo who were raised to be Prince's. Whilst they were down to Earth and were lovely they were ultimately dictated by their status. Grace, though, was someone who fell in love with Luke, and Luke fell in love with her. Grace was a completely normal person I would expect to see at work. She is someone who I would bump into at the supermarket. She was someone I would trust if I ever went to therapy.

She is someone I could trust.

I nodded and she shyly smiled.

We sat down in the dining room for a good five minutes, Grace listening to what I was saying intently. She was on her laptop, typing what I was saying intently on her laptop. Luke and Theo popped around the corner after I had explained my childhood to her; only up until the point after I was released from hospital into social services. She somehow managed to bring up my medical records from the time. They came around the corner saying they were taking Lila down to the beach for a while. I watched as Lila came over to Grace, climbing on the seat next to her and kissing Grace's cheek and she hugged her too. She then shyly came over to me and hugged me too. And then, Theo, Luke and Lila all left.

I went through everything in detail; the abuse, assaults, threats, everything. Grace looked at me slightly concerned, but wrote down everything. She nodded as I explained stuff in detail and hugged me as I cried.

'Have you got your phone on you?' She asked, and I nodded. 'Do you mind if I take off the call logs from there?'

'That's fine.' I sniffed. 'I don't know if you can hear the conversations we had on the phone, I dunno if you can do that, but they're all in Gaelic.' I said

'It depends on the level of encryption, and don't worry – I can understand basic Gaelic. You know what? That'll take a while or so. Let's go and get some food.' She said conclusively. I frowned as she got up, stretching. She very quickly plugged in my phone, typing rapidly on the keyboard for about a minute as I watched her before she tilted the lid down. 'It says it'll be an hour or two – name a fast food.'

I thought about it for a second. 'Nando's.' I said and she grinned.

'Good choice, let's go and get some chicken then.' She said, standing up and pulling down her shirt as she pulled up her jeans. 'Or we can go and get it ordered in… yeah, let's do that.' She said conclusively.

'Um… where are we going?' I asked as she grabbed a set of keys from the mantle in the dining room and filed out into the wall. She pulled on her clean looking vans and opened the door.

'There's a really nice living space downstairs, we can order Nando's down there, get someone to pick it up for us and bring it back so we don't have to leave the Palace. Now, it's probably best for you not to leave until we get you into some form of protection.' Grace said. I followed her as she locked the door and frowned; the corridor outside had red carpet and red wallpaper and looked extremely upper class and I looked around. There was a security guard outside who just stared at me.

'Afternoon.' Grace said formally to the security guard.

'Good afternoon, your Highness.' He said, bowing his head.

'Oh God, don't do that.' Grace laughed as she headed right, down the corridor. 'Not married for another few weeks yet, Jose.' She called over her shoulder. Of course – after her wedding she would be classed as a Princess and would gain the status.

'I'm counting down the days, Grace.' He called back with the sound of laughter in his voice.

'How is wedding planning going?' I asked Grace and she stopped.

'Ah shit, forgot I needed to plan the wedding,' She joked. 'Na, it's going alright in all fairness. Got everything and the plans are all in place – you want to come?' She asked.

'Er, no, it's alright.' I mumbled.

'That's cool. Yeah, it's all sorted – got a rehearsal whenever it is, where I once again turn up and do what the Holy man tells me to do. Dress has been picked up, I think, I'm trying it on tomorrow for the last alterations as I put on weight _apparently_ but annoyingly haven't got taller.' She joked and I smiled. 'I just wish that we could have got married small scale. I've always wanted to get married in, like, a small barn with some fairy lights and close family and friends. Not in a giant abbey in the middle of London with reporters everywhere – no offence.' She said as we walked down to flights of stairs.

The guilt built up inside me. 'I think I have to be the reporter for your wedding.' I whispered to her and she nodded.

'I know. Feel free to compliment me.' She joked happily.

'I…. sorry for the fake post that was posted a few days ago – about you being pregnant again.' She laughed and I frowned.

'Honestly, it's completely fine. Shit happens. I'm used to it now. And, to be fair, we are on about having another child soon – not until after the wedding, though. Lila starts school soon and, even though Luke and I are working a fair amount of hours between us, it'll be so weird without a child there. We have spoken to Lila about it and she seems excited about it, although she did ask where we ordered them from…' Grace said and I laughed. 'And I refuse to be heavily pregnant in summer ever again. But honestly, it's completely fine. Don't worry about it.'

I didn't really want to argue with her.

I followed her in silence down another corridor, past a couple of members of staff who greeted Grace warmly before they looked at me with a slight confusion. Grace then stopped by a door, opening it before gesturing for me to go in. I smiled shyly as I walked in, looking as the carpet changed to laminate flooring. I then looked up to see Joel standing in the room awkwardly in a suit.

'Well that's fancy.' Grace said to him and I looked over at Grace with a grin. She smiled back before explaining. 'Theo called Joel in to see you this morning. I'll be two rooms down the left.' She said before backing out the room.

Joel came over and hugged me tight as I started to cry. 'Oh, Ellie.' He whispered, hugging me tight. 'It'll be okay. They've assured me they're working on it – finding a way to keep you safe.' He said pulling me back. 'Where the hell did you get these fancy clothes from?' He asked, knowing when I was in normal clothes it was never anything branded.

'Grace went out shopping for me this morning – Theo paid though.' I said, shaking my head as I looked away in shock.

'Theo, hey?' He said expectantly, sitting me down on the plush settee. There was a tray of teas on the table.

'It's… not like that.' Thinking about it. It was exactly like that. 'He… he told me he liked me and we kissed a few times and shared the same bed last night' Joel just looked at me. 'What?'

'One bit of information at a time, shall we?' He joked. 'Tell me what happened from yesterday – Theo said he found you after you came off the train?'

'Turns out I had Theo's phone all the time in my pocket which is why he never contacted me.' I started to explain. 'I was walking home from the train station, a car pulls up and I ignored, and then he parked his car. He came and got me, told me that my flat was on fire and took me to back to his place. I was unresponsive for quite a while, so much so he got Luke to check me over with his paramedic shit. Then he got Grace to explain to me what had happened, and I freak out. So they left, I fell asleep and the next thing I know I was asleep in Theo's bed. He was sitting next to me, reading. I started crying, realising what had happened and Theo laid down and hugged me to try and get me to calm down. I told him about my childhood, what I told you the other day, and he held me tight again. Told me I was safe. I fell asleep. The next morning, I was hugging him in my sleep. And the next thing he was kissing me gently. He apologised, said he should have asked me, and then I kissed him. Then he made me breakfast. We just talked. He told me about his childhood, about Luke and Grace and Lila. Grave then came and she sat me down, asked me to go through everything to try and get me on a protection programmed. We've only just gone through everything, she's logging my phone now.'

'Woah.' He said as he held me to my side. 'But it might chance everything – it might be the best thing to happen to you.'

'I don't like change.' I started crying. 'I was happy. I had work, I had friends – I had you.'

'Ellie. You were never happy.' He whispered to me with a strained voice. 'I could see that from miles away. You think you were happy because it was better than what happened in Ireland but you were not happy. You were stuck in a routine, living in fear.' Joel whispered to me. 'Take this chance, please Ellie. I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you, Ellie.' He whispered.

'Why would you lose me?' I asked back, confused.

'He will drive you to Ireland, and I have a feeling this time you won't return.' He said and I looked up at him, shocked. 'He burnt down your flat, Ellie. He is a monster. He will try and do whatever he can to get you back and this time he won't let you go. Even if they drive you insane, stick with Theo and Grace and Luke and even Lila. If you can't stand it, text me and I will pick you up and you can stay with me. But please, please look after yourself.' Joel said.

He stayed for another hour before his lunch break was over and he had to go back. He promised me he would call me tonight. And he reassured me that everything will work out. I just had to go with the change. I stood in the room for a while, milling about what he said before I left the room, heading to the right. I counted two rooms down and knocked on the door.

'Ellie, you don't have to knock,' Grace laughed. I opened the door and saw her sitting on the settee in a baggy hoody with a water bottle resting against her leg. She was huddled into herself watching Netflix. She gestured to the seat beside her and I sat down beside her. 'I've ordered you your Nando's – its what you got with Joel a few days ago, it'll be here in the hour.' She said quickly.

'Why are you so intent on helping me?' I asked, frowning flight as she took a sip of her water.

'You're a decent person, I believe that, and you are in dire need of some help. It's my job to help people who need help the most.' She said, lulling her head to look at me. 'The real question you need to be asking is why _Theo_ is so intent of helping you.' She said with a cheeky grin.

'I have asked him a few times and he hasn't replied.'

'That means he's holding back something – something he doesn't know if he can say.' Grace said. 'Thankfully, he can speak for England but the second he doesn't answer a question, it means he's hiding something. He's very black-and-white when you get to know him.' She told me.

'Well, what would he be hiding from me?'

'He likes you, Ellie. That's my best guess – I mean it's clear as anything, even Luke picked that up and he's not the smartest cookie ever.' Grace joked and I looked down at my lap. 'Honestly, don't worry about it too much, you have more than enough going on at the moment to worry about stuff like that. When this all cools down, and you're on a programme, and you're safe and we're working on reporting the crime, then talk to him about it. I know the status thing will put you off and quite rightly so but just talk to him when all of this is cooling down.'

'How do you know about the status thing?' I asked.

'Luke.' She said and I nodded. 'I was very hesitant to start with about the whole status thing, and then I decided to focus on who Luke is himself and not what everyone else deemed him to be. It took time but once I fell for Luke, I didn't overly care about the status. I mean, he told me that if we ever got married I'd become a Princess and it just didn't seem correct. The first tour we did was so awkward and that's where that dance video came from? He took me to someone to make me feel comfortable. He very much catered everything to make sure I was comfortable constantly. Theo will do the same. I won't lie, it is a hell of a change and it's a lot of pressure, but the boys have been raised to be the perfect gentlemen. Caroline has told the boys time and time again that their partners comes first in comparison to everything.'

'Caroline, as in, Queen Caroline?' I asked. She seemed intense.

'Oh, she's lovely, she really is lovely.' Grace said genuinely. 'Very much like a motherly figure, even to me now. She looks at everything realistically – like people expect Luke and Theo to be out constantly doing Royal duties but it's not realistic. Caroline makes sure Luke puts Lila first constantly, and makes sure Theo puts family first too. She's cancelled his tours and openings for the next week so he can focus on you.'

'She knows I'm here?' I asked, slightly nervous and Grace nodded.

'She wanted to meet you, but I told her to back off for a while,' Grace said as she looked at the door. 'Chickens here!' She said, getting up to collect the two paper bags someone, I guess a security guard, held in his hand.

After lunch we decided to watch a film as my phone was still logging the calls and various other details. I sat next to Grace – and soon fell asleep.

I slowly woke up again but kept my eyes closed as I heard people talking in the room. I realised very quickly I was leaning against someone – potentially Grace. They were mid-conversation as I zoned in.

'When did you come back?' I heard Grace ask from across the room and I tried not to frown – then who was I leaning against?

'About forty minutes ago. We had to give Lila a shower as she decided to run around in the mud.' Luke said softly. He must be sitting next to Grace as his voice sounded like it came from the same direction. 'We did wonder where you had gone, we expected both of you to be at Theo's.'

'I'm logging her phone at the moment, thankfully she backs up to the iCloud so I can at least look into the data.'

'Have you found anything yet?' Theo asked beside me a shade nervously and I tried to be subtle – it was Theo I was leaning against. I could feel an arm around my shoulder. Theo was hugging me as I slept – Grace must have moved to swap with Theo.

'No, I've been down here.' Grace said.

'Theo, these things takes time.' I heard someone else say and it took a moment for it to click – it was Queen Caroline. 'Ellie is more than welcome here for as long as she needs, she's safe here – isn't she, Grace?'

'…Eh.' Grace said. 'I'm sure that's what we said to Theo three years ago right at the time someone turned evil and gasses him to kidnap Lila.'

'What are we up against?' Luke asked confused.

'We?' Grace mocked. 'I love you, but sweetheart you are useless at these things.'

'Fine.' Luke said sulking.

'Grace does have a point, Luke.' Caroline added back and Theo sniggered at his brother.

'Shut up, soon-to-be-postage-stamp.' Luke mumbled.

'I will make an excellent tenner.' Theo joked back, and I heard Grace laugh gently. What was they on about? It clicked – as Theo was the future King, he would eventually end up on all currency and postage stamps. They were taking the piss out of it.

'Ten pence, sure.' Grace mocked back.

'Mum, when he sits for his portraits make sure his quiff is perfect.' Luke asked him Mum.

'Boys, behave.' Caroline laughed. 'But yes, that's a good call Luke.'

'You cannot encourage Luke to bully me, Mum!' Theo mocked.

'Theodore, you're a fully-grown man.' Caroline said back and I heard Luke laugh.

'Luke. Behave. Lila's acting more grown up than you now?'

'She's asleep, it's fine.' Luke mocked.

'Grace, what is your current plan of attack?' Caroline asked and Grace sighed in return.

'As of yet, I haven't got a clue. There is several routes we could go but… I really don't know. I won't be able to work out anything until early next week and she doesn't really have somewhere to live.' Grace said. 'But even getting her somewhere new to live won't solve the issue. The fire is literally the tip of the iceburg. We can't fix anything until the underlying causes are solved, and solving that issue is edging on impossible.'

'Grace, you can have all state powers if you need – I can authorise it.' Caroline added.

'That might be handy, thanks.' She said sweetly.

'Do you think we will be able to find a solution for this?' Theo asked nervously again and there was silence. I decided to pretend to wake up.

'Hey, Ellie.' Grace said in reply as I rubbed my eyes. Theo gently ran his hand up and down my arm. I looked up at Theo who was just looking down at me, a small smile on his face. Grace and Luke were sitting opposite, their arms touching. Caroline was on the armchair to the right, with Lila asleep on her lap.

'Ellie, it's a pleasure to meet you.' Caroline said warmly to me and I smiled in reply.

'Hey,' I said shyly back.

The silence was heavy on the room.

'How long is left on the logging?' Theo asked Grace who checked her phone.

'We're good now.' Grace said and he nodded.

'Come on, Ellie, let's give them all a second to talk.' Theo said, helping me get up as he did. As I stood up, Grace and Luke watched me before Luke looked over at Lila and Caroline. I frowned at Grace and she just nodded gently, almost answering unknown questions that I asked. But it was a tiny bit more supportive, I knew she had to discuss the case and Luke seemed like the person she trusted the most and she would probably have to ask Caroline what we would do about it. I smiled shyly as I followed Theo out the room. He closed the door.

'Is everything okay?' He asked me and I nodded. 'You… sure?'

'Yeah.' I sounded even unconvinced to myself. Theo frowned at me gently with a small smile. 'Come on, you look shattered.' He told me gently as he took my hand, leading me back up the corridor Grace took me down to. I knew there would be a conversation that had to happen so, but at the moment, I was so confused and drained that I didn't even know what to do anymore.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hello!

I know it's a bit slow at the moment but I promise you, it is building up to be something big at the moment. Do we like the characters still? Please let me know


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Theo took my hand as he gently guided me back up to his room. He didn't speak to me as we walked up the stairs and through the door. He did, however, stop to say hello to the security guard outside of his room – the same one Grace was talking too earlier. The only time Theo dropped my hand was to unlock his front door as he held it open for me to walk through. I looked into the dining room, where Grace's laptop sat on the table with my phone. But Theo walked off into the lounge and I followed. He gestured for me to sit down on the settee and I did, not really too sure what to do if I disobeyed.

I frowned slightly as he dragged the footstall over in front of me, sitting down. He looked me in the eye and smiled shyly. He had upped his look a bit more so I knew when he and Luke took Lila out for the majority of the afternoon, they had gone out In public. I didn't know where they went, but Theo was now in a pair of smart looking chinos and a button up shirt, his hair now neat. Luke didn't look too bad either; he was in a polo shirt and jeans too.

'What did Grace say to you?' Theo asked softly.

'She needs to talk to some people, see what the best route is.' I said and he pursed his lips and looked away. 'I did tell her everything, though, and she's logging my phone too. She should come up with a plan soon… right?'

'Yeah, yeah.' Theo agreed but he didn't sound confident. He then shook his head. 'How do you feel? I just haven't considered how you are feeling. I'm so concerned that you don't have much and want to help I haven't really stopped to ask how you are, or if you want any of this.' He whispered to me.

'It still hasn't really hit me.' I mumbled as Theo leaned forward. 'I was telling Grace about it and it never really hit me. I have no idea what to do, so yeah, I really am thankful for the help and for you as well. But I think if I stay, I'll be outstaying my welcome.' I said and Theo frowned.

'Why would you think that?' He asked, trying to understand my thought process and I awkwardly shrugged.

'Because no one here really knows me, do they? We met, what, a few days ago? I just appeared randomly into your life because you spilt a drink on me at Nando's by mistake and it's all spiralled out of control. And then everything has happened so quickly and I just… I dunno. I feel like I don't really deserve this kind of help. It feels like someone should be yelling at me, telling me I'm a failure, and not bending over backwards to help.' I said, my voice increasingly straining as my eyes filled with tears. Theo leaned forward and gently held my hands.

'Ellie. You do not deserve this.' Theo told me gently and I looked up at him, looking him in the eye. 'You don't deserve anything of this. You needed some help getting around it and getting the help you need, working out protection programmes and where to live and so on. Grace knows what she's doing, Hell – she's one of the best – and she was more than willing to help. Mum is more than happy to have people here. We will keep you safe. Even if you're just a friend, it's what we do.' He said softly.

'That's the other thing.' I said, trying to build up my courage.

'What's that?'

'What's happening… here.' I whispered.

'Here?' Theo said and I closed my eyes – did I have to spell it out? I knew the stereotype that boys are meant to be a bit more... stupid, to say at least, when it came to things like this, but surely I couldn't be the only one who felt something? 'Well, I really like you if that's what we're on about?' He said and I looked up and frowned. He laughed. 'Guessing that is what we are on about.'

'Yeah.' I whispered, but still confused. Theo just shrugged.

'I really like you, I think I have admitted this before. Yeah. I really like you – so, yeah.' He said simply, looking down at the floor before looking up and meeting my eye. Did he look – shy? Considering I had been reporting him for the best part of three years now, I never had him down as being shy. He always was calm and collected, and confident none the less. Always had brilliant posture, sitting proper, looking people dead in the eye. But now, he was very shy, hunched over. He was genuine.

'What?' I whispered, and he smiled softly.

'I know… I know we can't really do much now. You have way too much going on. I didn't overly want to tell you in case it would pressure you In some way. But I told you now just so you don't think you are overstaying your welcome. It really is a pleasure to have you here, Ellie.' Theo said. Realising he made it slightly awkward, he got up and threw himself on the settee next to me. I watched him. He then held out his arm and I fell into it him. He tightened his arm around my shoulder, kissing my forehead again as he sighed.

'I think I like you too.' I mumbled, running my hand over his thigh.

'You do?' He asked, and I could hear the happiness in his voice. I nodded.

I was slightly unsure. I never had any desire of any kind of relationship and my past had thoroughly put me off any form of contact with anyone who could hurt me. But I found myself obsessing over Theo, wanting him to be by my side for hours on end. I kept overthinking our conversation and I got overly excited when I knew I'd be able to see him again. I was scared, terrified even, that he would hurt me but I knew – deep down – he wouldn't do such a thing.

'Yeah. And I'm terrified.' I said.

'Ellie, I'm not like him.' He whispered, putting his right hand on my hand that rested on his thigh. I turned my hand around so we were holding each other's hands. He rested his cheek on my head. 'I won't hurt you. I won't put you at risk. I will keep you safe.' He told me.

'I know you will keep me safe.' I mumbled. There was silence as we both were thinking. 'So why don't we give it a go?' I said and then cringed – why had I need so brash as to say something like that? I had to remind myself that I was nothing compared to Theo. 'I… I didn't mean that. Well, I did but, I didn't want to put pressure on anyone but if you want to, but I get that you might not want too –' I was mid-babble when Theo let go of my hand, moving his fingers to under my chin, lifting my face up before he kissed me. It started off a very simple, soft kiss but then we deepened it.

It was incredible. I didn't have much experience with kissing but it was incredible. Theo held me before he leaned back so I was resting on top of him. It felt like I had found a home, after all these years of hunting and searching for one. And my home was with Theo. Eventually, we broke apart as I laid on top of Theo. He smiled at me, kissing the top of my nose, as I laid down back on his chest.

'Let's give it a go,' Theo said as he wrapped his arms around my waist as I yawned slightly. 'Please just trust me.' He edged over on the settee so I slipped down the gap, my back against the backrest of the settee as I faced him. Theo kissed my forehead before he looked me in the eye. He had beautiful eyes – a deep blue colour. 'I will do everything I can to make this work.' He told me. I smiled. 'You look shattered, sweetheart.'

'I am, that's why.' I whispered back to him.

'Go back to sleep, Ellie.' He mumbled, hugging me to his chest.

'What time is it?' I asked, and he checked the clock.

'Half five.' He said, and I nodded. I'd be packing up at work on a normal day. But… but was there ever going to be a normal day again? 'Go to sleep, I'll wake you up when it's dinner time or Grace comes.' He said sweetly, brushing my hair from my face.

Safe, warm and happier than I had been for a while, I drifted off in Theo's arms to the sound of him breathing.

I woke up a few hours later refreshed. I could hear Theo but he was no longer beside me – mainly because I could hear noise in the kitchen which sounded like pans clanking. There was also no one laying near me – but I had been covered in a blanket. I opened my eyes to see I had a pillow under my head and an incredibly soft expensive-feeling throw over my body. It was substantially darker too; the main light in the living room had been turned off and only a lamp on the other side of the living room was turned on dimly, creating a calming ambience in the room. I sat up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders as my bare feet touched the wooden flooring.

Theo, somehow, much have heard me sit up as he suddenly appeared in the doorway.

'You awake?' He asked, even though I was clearly sitting up on the settee.

'Yeah – what time is it?' I asked, rubbing my eyes.

'Quarter to eight, I think?' He said. He had changed clothes and was now in a plain shirt that hugged his (delightful) body and a pair of jogging bottoms. 'I was just making food,' He said, heading back into the kitchen.

I followed him like a lost sheep. He resumed his positioning at the hob of the oven. Without looking, he tapped the counter where I sat earlier when he made pancakes – even though that seemed like it was ages ago. I hopped up and I saw him smile gently.

'What are you making?' I asked as he stirred something in a pan,

'Mushroom risotto.' He said.

'Fancy.' I said and he gently put his hand on my knee. 'How did you know I was up?'

'I can sense emotions.' He replied simply like he was telling me the time. I frowned.

'What do you mean sense emotions,' I said as he took the risotto off the heat and place the food on two plates. He then gestured over to the small table that was in the kitchen. I sat down on one side of the table, looking at how incredible the food looked. Theo then got up and gave me a glass of water.

'What did you ask?' He said, clearly forgetting what I asked.

'You said you could sense emotions…' I asked, taking a small mouthful of the food. It was incredible.

'Yeah… it's my gift,' he said, taking a sip of his water.

'Gift?' I questioned even more confused and he met my gaze.

'I never finished telling you about Savant's, did I?'

'In all honesty, I can barely remember you starting it. So, off you go,' I said, waving my fork around and he nodded.

'So,' Theo said. 'Savant's are relatively rare. Think of it as a genetic condition, but rather than providing a disadvantage like most genetic condition, it provides an advantage. I think it's around one in every ten thousand or slightly more now, but they have a different brain structure, only slightly, that will allow a certain manipulation of things normal people wouldn't be able to do.' Theo said. 'It allows these Savant's to be able to contact each other telepathically to a certain extent, and move things psychokinetically – although it's commonly referred to as telekinetically.'

'Prove it.' I said and he raised his eyebrows at me.

'Which part?'

'Either.' I said. I didn't believe him and wanted to see if he was lying. But sure enough, the glass of water lifted up beside him. I leaned across the table and ran my hand under the glass, then above, to see if it was a magic trick but there were no strings.

'Oh, that's cool.' I said and he grinned. I couldn't deny how incredible that was.

'It also means everyone who is a Savant will have a gift – some form of ESP they unwillingly specialise in. Mine is emotion.' Theo said as he took a sip of his water – but this time he was actually holding his water.

'So… what does that mean?'

'So everything you are feeling, whether you are aware of it or not, links to a colour. The colours are universal, so I pick up whatever you're feeling and it's assigned to a colour that I associate with that feeling and I see the colour of the emotion you're feeling. Like now, I know you're drained and exhausted, sad, scared, anxious but also happy.' He said and I sat back and stared at him. 'The only real way I can prove that bit you is by playing two truths and a lie.'

'Okay.' I said, thinking carefully. 'I secretly hate living on my own despite telling everyone it's the best thing I've done, I like to watch people on the train every morning heading to work and pretending to know their stories and I would have always, and would love to go to New York.' I told him and he smiled.

'Guessing you're not a fan of New York then?' He answered straight away without even considering it. My mouth dropped. 'I can also probe emotions to see why you are feeling that way. You don't believe New York would be any different from London, and as you've seen London for quite a few years now, you don't see the desire to travel to another bustling commuter, extortionate priced tourist destination.'

'Okay… you're not lying.'

'Nope.' He said, drinking the rest of his water.

'So if it's genetic… that would mean your family are also Savants… correct?' I said and he nodded pleased I was understanding it. 'So what do they do then? And an example of what they do too.'

'Alright. Mum can see the future – she knew Grace was pregnant pretty much the exact same time as Luke and Grace found out, and she knew Lila's gender long before any scan or anything as she had seen Grace with Lila at Luke's graduation the autumn after she was born. Luke can read people's minds, so yesterday after we picked you up and you were very much in a state of shock and he was checking you out, making sure you were okay, he was also reading your mind and realised the shock was more psychological than it was medical so he called in Grace. Grace is also a Savant…'

'What are the chances of that…' I laughed and he grinned.

'We'll get onto that in a moment. Grace can remember everything that has ever happened to her – apart from when she was kidnapped. She can't remember that.' Theo said and I frowned. 'She was kidnapped by another Savant who was able to get into her head and physically forced her to forget what had happened.'

'So… Grace and Luke?' I asked and he nodded.

'So, this is where it starts to get a bit more ropey and I cannot really prove it to you unless what I think will happen… will happen.' He said and I just raised my eyebrows. 'When a Savant is conceived, another Savant wherever it happens to be in the Globe is also conceived around the same time – or near enough. Nine months later it leads to two Savant babies being born within weeks of each other that are destined to be together – race, gender, religion, none of that matters. It runs so much deeper than that. It allows both of their minds to interlock and become the better person they are deep down, and creates such a strong relationship that they are destined to be together forever.' Theo explained.

'Grace and Luke…' I repeated and he nodded.

'They're called Soulfinders because it does basically what it says on the tin. Their relationship is so much more powerful than normal people relationships.' Theo said, taking the now empty plates and leaving them in the sink. 'It takes some work, especially in the beginning, but once the Soulfinders know each other and start working on their relationship, apparently it's incredible. Luke and Grace are extremely lucky to find each other. As you can imagine, the odds weren't in their favour and for Grace's parents to know my Mum in a way which leads to the chain of events that caused Grace to work here so soon after her graduation is almost zero to none.' He said, sitting back down on the chair.

'Right… why are you telling me this? I'm slightly confused.' I said and he smiled slightly.

'Two reasons. I think you're a Savant and…'

'I'm not though.'

'Not that you've noticed.' He corrected.

'No… not at all.' I corrected back.

'May I explain why I believe you are?' He said.

'Go on then.'

'You never knew your birth parents, did you? You said for as long as you can remember you've been in foster care or being dealt with by social services because you got left…' Theo said softly and I looked away nodding. 'It's more than possible that both of your parents, or even just one of them, was a Savant which would make you a Savant too.'

'But I can't speak telepathically, I cannot move things with my mind, I don't have a gift.' I started on a tangent and Theo looked at me.

'Have you tried though? Have you actually tried to speak to someone telepathically? Have you tried moving things with your mind? Have you put down unexplained behaviour to fate rather than yourself?'

'Er…' I said. I had never thought about it that way.

'I believe that actually, yeah, you do have a gift. You, I think, filter emotions. I noticed it in Nando's when you came in; the two people you were with were upset for you, but you sucked it away from them and suppressed it into yourself so you'd feel upset and not them. Hell, you even did it with me – which, if you're wondering, is one of the reasons I somehow kept you talking in the Nando's toilets because it was incredible to watch. When I picked you up, you were filtering emotions and after the fire, that's why you were in shock so much. You filtered it out of everyone else. That's why you feel so much emotion in comparison to everyone else.' Theo said softly, leaning forward and holding my hand.

'Oh.' I whispered – it made sense though. I thought I had a disturbed childhood thus experienced more trauma and emotional backlash now like my therapist had suggested. I didn't expect there to be another explanation. 'I won't believe you until I can move stuff with my mind.' I joked, and he tapped his lap. I frowned.

'Come over here then,' He said, smiling. A dimple appeared in his cheek and he just looked absolutely adorable. His hair had been washed and was very fluffy now but was pushed back. He looked a lot younger than he did on Royal duties – like he was twenty one again. I frowned before heading over to him. He pulled over a chair and placed it directly next to him as I sat down. He pushed his empty cup in front of me.

'It's glass, try not to break it.' He said and I frowned. 'So, what would you imagine touching the glass would feel like?'

'Cold?' I said and he nodded. 'and quite smooth, I guess. But it has got a chip on the top of it, so it would have a sharp edge there.' I said and he nodded.

'Yup. How heavy do you think it is as well?' Theo said, his arm around my shoulders, giving me some support.

'Not very heavy.'

'Okay, so imagine that your brain has a third hand, and that third hand is reaching out and grabbing the glass like you'd hold a glass. You can close your eyes for this – in fact, do, it'll help you.' I did what he said as I was frowning. Perhaps he was making me feel like an idiot. 'So, imagine you have that third hand, and that third hand is now holding the glass. Make sure in your brain you can feel that it's cold and damp from the condensation. Make sure, if you run an imaginary finger over the rim you'd feel that dip. Feel the weight of the glass in your mind.' He said ever so softly and I almost could. I could feel the dampness in my mind, the lightness of the glass. As I pictured running my finger over the dip I could feel a small sharp pain. 'Open your eyes, sweetheart.' He whispered and I did.

The glass I was imagining was floating before me. I jumped back, losing that concentration and the glass dropped. Theo quickly held out his hand and the glass was caught only centimeters away from the floor and from cracking and flew back up to the table as I was flinching into Theo's chest.

'Was that you moving the glass?' I asked even though I knew it was me. It made sense. It felt familiar.

'Nope. That was all you.' He said with a very small smile. No denying it now, I guess.

'And what was the other thing? Mind speaking – wasn't it?' I laughed and he just looked at me for a second.

'Slight backstory before that. Back to soulfinders.' He said and I nodded, and he kept his arm around my shoulder, his dark blue eyes calling me in. 'How do you know when you find your soulfinder, you might ask. You do that telepathically. There's a normal way of speaking telepathically and it almost feels like a whisper in the back of your brain that you have to completely zone out in order to hear. However, with your Soulfinder, it feels like you're shouting. It feels magical and like every moment of your life is simultaneously over and starting again, and being lit up at the same time. It makes you feel at home.' Theo said softly.

'Right…' I said.

I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

'I said earlier I was telling you for two reasons; you interrupted after the first one. I said I believe you are a Savant, and that was proven correct thanks to my masterclass in emotions and glass-moving skills. The second? I believe you are my Soulfinder.' He said shyly.

'Oh. Um…' I said, not entirely sure what to say. 'Shall we try?' I joked and Theo grinned and shook his head.

'Never spoken telepathically before with someone, have you?' He asked genuinely, and I shook my head. 'Remember, a whisper is normal, shouting means Soulfinder.' He said nervously, and I knew it was a massive movement for him. 'So, close your eyes and this time, imagine a bridge. A nice bridge, one that is sturdy. Imagine that bridge coming out from your forehead and into mine. I know it's odd to imagine but go with me on this one. I'll meet you halfway. So, imagine you are constructing this bridge. Build some support beams along the way, anchor your bridge to the wall via dart gun or whatever you want to imagine.' I tried to picture building a stone bridge over to Theo's head and felt him almost holding a hand out to me, helping to guide my bridge. Sure enough, he met me halfway. 'Now, say anything you want to me, but say it across that bridge. Like you're sending paper messages, but with words insides of envelopes instead of written letters.'

 _Like this?_ I tried to say and it felt incredible. I gasped.

 _Exactly like that._ He replied. Shouting. And it felt like I was home, that it didn't matter where I had come from or the pain I was experiencing now or the fact I had no family and now nowhere to live – none of that mattered anymore because I was at home with Theo. I opened my eyes to see Theo looking at me with a tiny grin on his face.

'Hello, Soulfinder.' He mumbled to me before I leant forward and kissed him.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Soon after we had discussed Savants some more and what Soulfinders actually meant, we got ready for bed. Grace had text Theo with a simple message that Joel had signed me off work until Friday morning and to see how I felt then, and he can always extend it. At least it meant now I actually had some time to calm down and work it out.

Grace had the foresight to buy some cute sets of pyjamas. I got changed into ones that had some llama pun on the front and came with cuffed pyjama bottoms. Theo had just brushed his teeth and I was hovering outside. He had shown me a room to stay in, in case I wasn't very comfortable staying in his bed at the moment.

Secretly, I wanted to stay in the same bed as him to have some comfort but didn't want to seem to be bugging him.

'I'll be just up here if you need me, Ellie.' Theo said softly, handing me one of his hoodies. 'And that, too if you're cold.'

I took the hoodie gratefully and smiled. He gently kissed me as we stood their awkwardly.

'If you need me at all, come and find me. Even if I'm asleep, wake me up – okay?'

'Okay.' I agreed. He leant forward and kissed me again, his hand lingering on my waist. 'Thank you for this, Theo.' I mumbled again and he grinned. It was awkward again. 'Goodnight,' I said as he hugged me gently, kissing my forehead. I then turned around and headed to my room.

As I got to the door, I turned around and saw him standing there in the hallway watching me with a small grin on his face. I mocked saluted at him and he grinned before pivoted on the spot and headed to his own room.

The room was very cosy for a spare room; it was quite small and had a single bed in the corner with some plain marble-patterned covers on. There was an alcove at the end of the bed that had some books on the shelf with a few plants. In front of the bed was a lovely deep pile white rug and at the end of the room a chest of drawers with a mirror on top and another plant. My bag of clothes Grace got me was on the floor. I turned off the light and tucked myself in bed, checking my phone where it was plugged in to charge. Grace had taken off all she needed and told me not to pick up the phone to anyone – even Joel – and try not to reply to texts on this phone now. She decided to get me a new phone in the morning. Joel messaged Grace to talk to me.

I laid down and stared at the ceiling trying to sort out my mind. I was still in shock, I think, as nothing really felt real. It felt like a dream. I had lost everything, and I'm at risk of losing everything I had worked for. I didn't have much in the way of savings; I spend most of my salary of rent and trains and food. So I'm not entirely sure what I could do.

And then, it hit me.

I had absolutely nothing. Everything had been destroyed. I faced having to change everything; my life, who I was, my friends, perhaps my job, where I lived, everything. It started to really get to me and I started to cry – completely uncontrollably. I started to shake as I started to cry as well. I hid my eyes as I rolled on my side and was just sobbing.

I didn't even notice the door open.

'Ellie.' I heard Theo but I continued to cry. 'It's okay, it will be okay.' He said, crouching down beside me, running his hand through my hair. 'Sweetheart…' He sighed before he gently put his arm under my head and his other arm under my legs as he scooped me up. He then sat on my bed with me on his lap as I cried into his shoulder and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders.

He hugged me for a good half an hour, gently telling me it was okay and trying to calm me down. We were a lot closer than when he comforted me yesterday when I was upset – he was hugging me tight and resting his cheek against my forehead, his fingers making small patterns to try and calm me down. And it worked.

'You're staying with me tonight. I don't care what you say.' Theo told me, picking me up again. I laughed gently but was too emotionally drained to do anything as Theo carried me to his room, moving the duvet with his mind to tuck me in. He then gently climbed into the bed next to me, hugging me tight. 'Ellie, I promise you now, I won't leave you alone and stranded with nowhere to stay, okay sweetheart? You're staying here, with me, for as long as you need – even if that is forever it will be perfect. I won't leave you, sweetheart. You will be fine. We can talk about it properly tomorrow, okay? But you're staying with me from now on in. We will be okay.' He said to me as I laid on his chest and he hugged me.

'I'm scared.' I told him.

'So am I, Ellie. But me and you, we can work this out. We will work it out. You're too precious to let go, so we will work this out.' Theo whispered to me. I slowly began to fall asleep as he spoke to me, reassuring me we can work this out and make me feel at home.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hiya!

I know a few people mentioned how Theo and Ellie's relationship was going back and forth and so on, so I decided to fix that. If I don't upload often it's because I have some really important exams coming up soon so I haven't to focus on them so there might be a slight delay in chapters but I promise it'll be worth it!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I woke up facing the clock – half five in the morning. I was back in Theo's bedroom and could feel the weight of his arm around my waist and the heat where he must be lying very close to my back, spooning me. I tried to focus on noises and sure enough, I heard him breathing beside me. Even though I was completely shattered, I was wide awake, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again.

Gently, I teased myself out from Theo's hug and sat on the edge of the bed, wiggling my toes. It was almost embarrassing how much I was breaking down in front of him, but I didn't feel like I could talk to him about everything. It didn't seem quite… right. I didn't want to concern him – and I guess the main issue with it was I still kind of considered him a few social status' above me. He was the Prince of Great Britain and was, one day, to be King. And I was dating him now, I guess – what's what we decided last night, anyway. I wasn't even going to consider what that would mean for me if our relationship turned serious.

I hopped out of bed, knowing who I wanted to speak too. But would Grace be up this early? I knew she mentioned Lila always got up at ridiculous times in the morning but I didn't know if half five in the morning was a "ridiculous time" or was too early to even be considered a "ridiculous time" but I had to speak to someone. Someone who seemed to have a better idea of what to do than myself. I quickly grabbed some woolly socks that were in the washing pile in the corner and headed down the stairs as quietly as I could, before opening the front door.

A security guard immediately turned to look at me and frowned. 'You okay, ma'am?' He asked, a frown on his face. He clearly had no idea who I was or why I was here but was briefed not to be alarmed by my presence.

'Uh, yeah.' I said, frowning and hugging myself. 'Any idea where Grace is?' I whispered, and he looked at me sympathetically.

'She's probably asleep…' The security guard said to me. 'But three doors down, see by that plant?' He gestured and I turned to look, seeing the potted plant he was on about. 'By there.' He said softly to me.

'Thank you.' I said shyly. I walked quickly down the corridor to the potted plant and knocked on the door. There was no reply and I frowned but it wasn't unexpected – it was half five in the morning. Just as I was about to head back, the door opened.

Grace was the one to open the door. She was in a pair of shorts with flamingos printed on them and a black top. She frowned.

'You okay, Ellie?' She immediately asked. 'Come in,' She stood out the way as I came in. I just stood in the hallway. 'Come on, let's talk then.' Grace whispered, guiding me into the lounge. It was very similar to Theo's apartment but had been redecorated and had quite a lot of toys around the place, and a very low plastic table that had some paper and crayons resting there.

'Did I wake you up?' I asked nervously as she grabbed a blanket and put it around my shoulders to try and stop me from shaking.

'No, of course not. Lila was up around three in the morning. I then was just trying to catch up on work.' Grace said softly. She then tucked her feet up on the sofa and looked at me. 'What's up?' She asked softly and I started crying.

Her motherly instincts went into overdrive – she immediately came over and hugged me tightly, holding me tightly as I sobbed. 'Ellie, you'll be okay.' She whispered but I shook my head. 'You will be, I've worked it out. You'll be fine. We will make sure you are okay and you get the justice you deserve.'

Grace kept telling me it would be okay as I laid down on her shoulder, her hands in my hair as she calmed me down. It was weird – she was a few years younger than me but she was very much all there for me, an older sister figure despite this age gap.

'What are you going to do?' I sobbed to her.

'Well, I was hoping to speak to Joel before speaking to you.' She said as she continued to play with my hair.

'Okay?' I said.

'So. I was going to ask Joel to move you to a secret office, where someone won't know where you are. You can still do your job but under a different name tag – that's why I needed to speak to Joel. Then I was going to get the Irish police – well, they're not actually police but a division of undercovers I can trust – to go and tell Him that following the fire you were a missing person and we believe you were in the flat at the time of the fire. Whether or not he believes that, it doesn't matter. If his men go to the flat, there's nothing there. If they go to your work and your office, there is also nothing there. Theo will take you to and from work each day now, and at least we can have some time to work everything out.' Grace said.

'That won't work? People will see me at work?'

'When I spoke to Joel earlier, he said there was the delivery lift for the coffee place and the café, and on the fourth floor next to the lift there's an office that has blinds down constantly?' I nodded, knowing the room. 'He could get that blocked out for you, Theo being able to drop you off at the delivery bay by the lift.'

'But that's surely a short-term solution.'

'Yeah it is, but job-wise, when you and Theo get serious, you cannot keep reporting about Theo like you did previous.' Grace said. 'And when your relationship is revealed to the public, you cannot be in the position to report about yourself either.'

'But when I'm known to the public, He will know I'm not missing.' I said and Grace smiled slightly.

'I like you – you're very smart.' Grace said. 'By then, I'm hoping he'll be in prison serving time. Not only that, security will be around you constantly.'

'But… you got kidnapped. Twice.' I whispered, and she flinched.

'I know. Luke and I were stupid and declined security. And ours came from inside. It was Edward behind everything so he had the persuasion to get in and be an asshole. Your threat is very much outside.' Grace whispered. 'It's not a waterproof plan, not yet, but… but we'll sort it out. I've emailed my manager who will start to review everything and find these holes, but because you're now officially with Theo it does make things a hell of a lot easier.'

'How do you know about that?' I asked and she just smiled.

'It was a matter of time.' Was all Grace said as she continued to hug me. 'Honestly, there will be times you want to give it up but fight against that feeling.' She whispered and I nodded. 'Luke and I, we won't be around later, and Theo will have Lila for the day.'

'Where are you and Luke going?' I asked.

'Luke has got work and I'm going back to a school. They were doing performances in groups of threes and these two girls who were quite bullied, well, no one wanted to be in a trio with them when they were setting the groups, so I went with them. It's performance day.' Grace said and my heart melted. She was an absolute gem – she would be the perfect Princess. If that came up at work and I was writing a story on it, I would wonder if she was doing it for status. But now I knew how genuinely nice Grace is, how she has it drilled into her to help everyone as much as they could. She was one of those people who, even when suffering internally, would be the person to tell everyone else how much they meant to them. I smiled gently. 'I enjoy doing it, they enjoy having someone else and being able to perform. It just made sense.'

'When did you know it was going to work with Luke?' I asked Grace and she frowned, obviously wondering why the subject change but didn't ask why I asked.

'Probably after when I was kidnapped, and I learnt what had happened. For a few weeks, after I was kidnapped, I was almost reprogrammed to attack Luke. I broke his ribs trying to get away from him. But despite that, he was always there. Even though it was hurting him, even though I physically attacked him, he was completely on my side. He could have happily left me, he could have got someone so much better than me. He had hundreds of people, princesses, people with wealth, people who are so much more than me. But he didn't. He pushed everyone to keep them treating me. He waited for the other side of the door for hours and hours in a day. And even when they treated me but they really weren't too sure if I was okay, he was sitting next to me, waiting for me. That's how I knew it was going to work.' She smiled shyly. 'Guessing you're asking because of Theo, yeah?'

'I'm scared that he won't like me and then…' I said, wiping away a tear.

'Ellie, I know you have issues trusting people. But this one time – even if it is the last time you trust someone – trust Theo.' Grace told me, repeating her words from earlier. 'I know it's hard, and trust me, I really do know that. But just throw everything into your relationship, and you'll get everything and more out.' She said as I leant against her like a child.

I jumped as her phone rung as she dug it out from her waistband on her pyjama bottom before she answered it. She didn't even say hello before whoever was on the other side started talking.

'Theo… Theo… she's here, she's fine.' Grace quickly butted in. I looked up at Grace with a question in my eyes and she nodded; Theo was looking for me. 'No, Theo, Ellie's safe. God, do you have to come around right now? You're intolerable this time in the morning.' Grace said and I wasn't entirely sure if she was joking. 'Theo, you're so loud and annoying this time in the morning. If you're coming over, you're going to be quiet and listen to what I say for once… no, Luke is still asleep. So is Lila.' I could hear Theo talking on the other side of the phone. 'Fine. See you in a bit.' She said before hanging up.

'I'll have one guess who that was.' I joked, and Grace smiled.

'I don't even think you need a guess.' She laughed.

'Was he… looking for me?' I asked as I laid on her still, the blanket on me warming me up.

'Yeah, he woke up and you were gone, not in your room. He panicked, thinking something bad had happened to you. He was so loud.' Grace said and I swallowed nervously. 'I don't think you need to worry about him not liking you anymore. He clearly cares for you a hell of a lot.' Grace whispered to me. 'I know that scares you, Ellie, it scared the absolute shit out of me. But honestly, just give it a go.'

'Can you tell him about your plan?'

'I mean… it's not really thought through properly yet… I haven't quite got the full plan yet.' Grace said nervously. 'It's with my manager to fix the loopholes and suggest additional plans and then it comes back. That should be a few hours…' Grace said. 'Use this time to sort it out with Theo, talk to him properly. He's looking after Lila for me too, so he'll be very subdued and easy to talk to.'

There was a knock at the door and I sat up straight as Grace jumped up. I heard her open the front door and was just able to hear Grace and Theo talk gently.

'Is she okay?' He whispered to Grace.

'She's fine – just couldn't sleep. It's understandable with what she has been through. You remember what Luke was like after…' I couldn't tell if she had gone silent or was mumbling but I couldn't hear her anymore. 'It's like that. But minor. She's still very much in shock.'

'Can I see her?' Theo said softly. There was a pause.

'I'm going back to bed then.' Grace said. 'Night, Ellie.' Grace called me and I heard footsteps heading upstairs.

'Night,' I called back in a hushed voice as Theo came around the corner. He was in some workout shorts and a baggy top, his hair all over the place rather than a normal neat style and he looked nervous. I hugged myself and looked down at the floor. Theo closed the door in his brother's apartment before he came over – I could hear his feet on the floor – and then saw his socks in front of me. I awkwardly looked up at him as he looked down at me.

His hand gently moved to the side of my face, gently caressing my face as he frowned at me. He then gently kissed me before I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He moved his hands to one tight around my waist and the other holding my back. He moaned slightly before he slipped on one of Lila's toys, falling backwards. Somehow, I also fell and landed near enough on top of him and he laughed, still holding me tight.

'Careful,' I joked, laughing too as he kissed me. I rolled off him to lay on his chest as he hugged me. He moved the blanket with his mind to cover me as he held me tight.

'I woke up and you were gone. You weren't in the spare room either. I had no idea where you were.' He said – and he sounded extremely concerned. He meant it.

'I just needed to talk to Grace.' I told him.

'At six in the morning?'

'I just… I needed…' I whispered. I sighed. 'I didn't want to talk to you in case you'd think I was weak or something, or you'd judge me.'

Theo sighed. 'I will never judge you, Ellie. I know that we come from a completely different background and you have been scorned so many times, but… it's different now. I have you to look after, you are my priority. I know I can't persuade you just to talk to me about it. But… I want you to try and trust me. I can't help as much as Grace, but I can help you morally. You can trust me.' I looked up at him as he smiled down at me. I stretched slightly to kiss him.

'I just… I've always had a plan since I left Ireland. I had a daily routine. I knew what was happening from one day to another. Now, I have nothing. I know that I've gained you out this and it is incredible and I don't want to go back to not having you,' I babbled and he hugged me, 'But… it just feels like I have nothing.'

'You still have your job, and your friends.'

'But I still have to look over my shoulder constantly for Him.' I whispered.

'Not if I ever see him.' He growled and I flinched. 'Sorry.' He mumbled. 'What did Grace say then? I know she mentioned to me that she'll work on training you and potentially getting you a job working with her if you wanted it.' Theo said softly.

'But I trained as a journalist.' I told him.

'Grace trained as a psychologist.' He said. 'Come on, do you wanna go back to bed?'

I snuggled back into his chest and he held me tight. 'I don't wanna move…. But yeah.' I said and he smiled, gently as he teased my head from his chest, kneeling next to me as she scooped me up. I squealed slightly as he stood up with me in his arms and he kissed me sharply. 'Oh my God!' I laughed as he carried me upstairs and into a spare room before he dropped me on the bed. He crawled over me and kissed me before laying down next to me, his arm around my waist. I rolled over as he gently leaned down to kiss me again, his fingers getting lost in my hair as he deepened the kiss.

I don't know what happened – it was like something in me clicked. Like I realised how much Theo had become to me. It has all been blocked by something; shock, horror or even just fear. But I realised now the shock of the fire had worn out, the horror of being within the presence or royalty wore off too – at the end of the day, they were all normal people – that it was all relatively okay. I knew Theo wouldn't hurt me. He had proved that time, and time again. The nights he held me when I cried, carrying me to bed. The days he sat with me trying to keep me calm. He was never going to hurt me. Even though I was scared still – I had never been in a relationship – I had started to fall for Theo.

I had started to fall for Theo. I rolled over and straddled Theo as he continued to kiss me, his hand wrapped tight around my waist as he moaned slightly. His hand went from around my waist to the small of his back His hand moved from around my hair to my shoulders. Then he stopped kissing me.

'We need to behave, we're not rushing into anything.' Theo said softly, and I groaned as I rolled off him, readjusting how my loose fitting camisole was sitting as I realised there might have been a bit too much skin on display. The way Theo looked at me confirmed my thoughts as I blushed. He then kissed my cheek. 'Don't blush beautiful.' He whispered. 'Come on, we're looking after Lila tomorrow, we need to get some sleep.' He said.

I sighed as he played with my hand.

'I keep saying this, Ellie.' Theo whispered just after I got comfortable on his chest. 'But I really, really do like you. I know that this is a lot but please, for the sake of us, please give us a chance.' He almost begged.

'I'll give it go.' I mumbled back half asleep and Theo's gripped around my waist.

'I won't let you down.' He mumbled as I fell asleep on his chest.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

'Uncle Theo.' I heard as I woke up and I frowned as I sleep.

'Yeah, sweetheart?' Theo mumbled and I smiled at how cute he was when he was with his niece.

'Mummy and Daddy are out today.' Lila stated sleepily. 'Does that mean we can go swimming?' She said and I could only guess that Theo had stopped hugging me and was now talking to Lila, who must have come to find him as he slept. I realised we were in Grace and Luke's house… so realistically it made sense.

'I'll see what I can do.'

'You're my favourite uncle!' Lila shouted and Theo laughed.

'I don't think Uncle Jack or Uncle Markie would like to hear that, will they?' Theo joked. I knew Jack and Markie was Grace's older brother and brother-in-law.

'They're my favourite too!'

'Lila… you cannot have more than one favourite, that's not how that works.' Theo explained and my heart melted. He was absolutely adorable.

'Ellie is my favourite auntie too!' My heart stopped.

'Yeah, she's my favourite too.' He whispered back. I teared up.

'Can we go swimming with her?' Lila asked.

'You'll have to ask her when she was up. Do you want to go and get changed, sweetheart?' Theo mumbled. I heard springs in the bed and small feet running out the room and going down. There was silence for a while. I heard bedsheets rustling.

'Ellie, sweetheart.' Theo said softly and I pretended to wake up. I opened my eyes and Theo was by the side of me, on his side, smiling down at me. 'Morning.' He whispered as he kissed me gently.

'Morning.' I whispered back, rubbing my eyes.

'You still tired?'

'What time is it?' I asked and Theo checked the time beside me.

'Half ten. Grace left for the school at half seven, and Luke was on shift at eight. We have Lila until around half three.'

'She wants to go swimming.' I said Theo looked at me.

'You heard.' He whispered, and I nodded. He looked down as if he was trying to work out what to say. He then met my eyes and there was a deep, deep look in his dark blue eyes. I frowned but as he went to say something, Lila came running back into the room.

'Ellie!' She shouted noticing I was up as she awkwardly clambered into bed before launching herself at me. I hugged her. 'Hello!' She shouted.

'Hi, Lila.' I laughed as I sat up to hug. 'You're hyper for this time in the morning.' Lila positioned herself to sit on my lap as she nodded. Theo sat next to me, his hand on the small of my back still, his finger toying with the top of the elastic on my pyjama bottoms. I looked over at him in shock and he lop-sided smiled at me.

'Can we go swimming today?' She asked me, looking up at me with an adorable face. I frowned. Yesterday, I never even met the kid. Today she was asking like we were long lost family. I knew kids didn't really understand relationships and how everything worked – so Luke or Grace must have had words with her, telling her that it was okay to consider me family.

'I can't swim, Lila.' I mumbled.

'I'll teach you.' Theo said and Lila grinned. 'Go and get the swimming bag then, Lila.' Theo said softly to the toddler, kissing her cheek as she grinned, standing on the bed to hug Theo.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It got to around half eleven and I was in the Buckingham Palace Gardens with Theo and Lila. Almost like Grace had the foresight to know I would end up swimming as there was a bikini in the bag of clothes. The bikini itself was lovely; it has a black back around the bottom of the bust and it crossed up, and was a lovely khaki colour and came with matching briefs. As the weather had taken a turn for the best, the temperatures were due to reach low-to-mid thirties, I threw a pair of cotton shorts over the top and a tank top too.

I met Theo downstairs, and as I walked into the dining room, I saw Lila sitting on Theo's lap, reading a book. Theo then turned to look at me as he saw me in the corner and his mouth dropped; he was only in a pair of swimming trunks which revealed his perfectly built and tanned chest. He didn't strike me as someone who worked out, but clearly, I was mistaken. His body was delightful. He was delightful.

'Wow.' He whispered as Lila looked up at Theo. 'Just finish your book for me, Lila, I just need to go and get some drinks.' She nodded as she continued to flick the pages of the cardboard-like book. Theo gestured his head to go around the corner, and the second we were out of sight of Lila he put his arm around me and kissed me gently.

'Wow.' He repeated and I blushed as I looked down.

'How'd you get that bruise?' I asked, poking his central chest. He flinched slightly.

'I got elbowed.' He said before smiling.

'Oh shit, do I do this?' I asked as I remembered how I elbowed him when I stole his coat, and he just continued to laugh. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Honestly, it's fine.' Theo said with a small smug smile. 'You look absolutely incredible.' Theo said, and I looked down. I wasn't entirely sure if I was comfortable with such compliments, but I didn't want to mention it. Theo just smiled - guessing my thoughts – and kissed me gently. 'So, you don't know how to swim?' He whispered, changing subjects.

'It's not on the home-schooled curriculum in Ireland.' I joked and Theo grinned.

'Say Ireland again.' He said.

'Ireland?' I said and he grinned.

'Your accent is so cute.' He said. I did still have my Irish accent, but I didn't notice it. Everyone else pointed it out to me, though. 'You haven't lost it at all.' He said softly. The last time I went to Ireland was two years ago for literally a week, and it was an awful week, but it was enough for me to pick up the accent. At the end of the day, I did spend eighteen years in Ireland, losing the accent wouldn't be easy work.

'I would love too.' I told him honestly.

'Honestly, it's beautiful and adorable. I love it.' He said and I frowned. He… loved it? He must have realised what he said and swiftly moved on. 'I'll teach you to swim. There's a pool out in the gardens, no one will be there apart from security… and Lila but she's a good swimmer. It's baking out there considering its October.' He said, swiftly walking away into the kitchen like he was embarrassed, grabbing a 5l bottle of water from the kitchen side, alongside a few plastic cups. He put them into a bag.

'Er… I can't say it'll be a good experience.' I tried to shake off the comment about my accent.

'Why not? I'm a good teacher.'

'How did you learn to swim anyway? Is swimming included in the Palace homeschooling curriculum?' I asked him and he nodded.

'I wasn't really homeschooled. I was for about two years when my Father made us, but Mum really pushed us into private schooling. Luke and I, we learnt to swim in the Garden as toddlers with Mum. We then snuck down there when we were meant to be doing a private study. After he returned from Afghanistan injured and with PTSD, but the father refused him any form of therapy, when he wasn't in his room, he was down there. He was sitting on the side of the pool, lower legs in the water.' Theo told me. 'That's also where he proposed to Grace.' Theo added. 'It's a special spot for both of us.'

'And you're taking me down there?' I asked him quietly and turned around to look at me, with a small smile. 'It's an important family place,' I added and he nodded. 'You don't have to take me down there, it's a family thing –' I added uncomfortably, feeling like I was crashing a family place that meant a lot to not only Theo and Luke as well.

'You are family now, Ellie.' He said to me softly and my mouth dropped. He smiled slightly. 'Even if we don't work out, your part of the family to everyone. Lila thinks you're her auntie now. Grace and you are practically inseparable now, Luke likes you too. Even Mum has taken a shining to you and wants to get to know you better – when you feel up to it.' Theo told me swiftly. 'So yeah, of course, I'm going to introduce you to the most important part of the palace,' He smiled softly, coming up to me, kissing me gently before moving me to one side. 'Lila.' He called and I heard the toddler jump down and wander out into the hallway.

I frowned as he grabbed something from the shelf in the corridor and went down on his knees and gestured Lila to come over. My heart completely melted as Lila came over and turned around as Theo knelt there and tied her long, blonde hair up into two plaits silently. I must have had a smile on my face as, when Theo turned around suddenly, he grinned back at me. As he got up, he picked up Lila and rested her on his hip. 'Come on then girls.' He said as he held out a hand to me.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

We got down to the pool with a lift from one of the garden keeper men around fifteen minutes later. The pool looked more like a crystal-clear pond and was set in the middle of some bushes that covered a third of one side, some large but well-kept trees and two benches. Theo dumped a bag on the floor and handed another one – a blue one – over to Lila who smiled at him gratefully.

'Lila, do you want to go swimming now or have a tea party with your teddies?' He asked softly as he knelt down to speak to her.

Lila thought about it for a while, dramatically frowning. 'Tea party.' She concluded. She took the blue bag and wandered around ten foot from the pool edge before deciding where to have her tea party. Theo got up and came over to me. 'Guess I'm teaching you to swim.' He said with a smile playing on his face.

It was around an hour until Theo gave up trying to teach me to swim. The pond wasn't too deep – I was around 5 foot 5 inches and it came up to my neck, covering a small amount of Theo's chest. We ended up just leaning on the cool side of the pool. Lila eventually came and joined us for a good while, splashing around in the pool before going back to her tea party with her toys.

Theo put his arm around my shoulder gently, kissing my temple as he did. We were both calm and content; the day was lovely and warm and standing in the lukewarm water was completely fine. I knew, in the back of my mind, Grace would be back soon and then she would take me away from this for whatever reason – I couldn't remember why – but when we were standing here, I could see a potential future for me. I've never seen myself to have a future.

'What are you grinning at?' Theo asked gently.

'I just…' I hesitated, I couldn't tell him the truth. 'I like being here.' I mumbled, snuggling my head into his chest.

'Like I said, you can stay here as long as you want. I like you being here too.' Theo said gently.

'I like you too!' Lila shouted from the side and Theo just frowned.

'Nice to know someone is eavesdropping,' Theo mocked, 'but that's three of us…'

'Well, I don't have any alternatives.' I mumbled.

'But if you did, would you still want to be here?' I hesitated before nodding. I couldn't imagine going back to living alone in a cold and damp bedsit with an oven only four foot away from my bed, and the shower in a room that didn't have a light, floorboards half rotten and only the odd moth to keep me company. Not because I loved the lavish life the Royals have, but because I loved the people who were here; they made me feel like I was at home. Theo smiled at me, his hand running through my damp hair.

'When was it you go back to work? I like our days together.' Theo said.

'Tomorrow morning.' I mumbled and he frowned.

'You sure you can't call up Joel and say you'll go back Monday?' Theo mumbled and I hesitated for a second – to be fair, I didn't feel up to going back to work tomorrow. I felt like I needed slightly longer to find my feet and I knew Joel would give me that extra day. He was technically my boss, yes, and my best friend too, but he was very much of a father figure to me too and the second I suggested I needed more time, he would bend over backwards in seconds.

'I'll call him later.' I said and Theo grinned. 'What's in it for me?' I joked and he frowned, thinking.

'Beach day?' He said and I frowned.

'Beach? We're in the middle of London…' I said.

'We can drive down there, stay overnight if you want too, come back. We don't even need to drive, one of the security guys would drive us down there…' Theo said before he looked back at me. 'It might do you a bit of good to get away from here for a day or two, calm you down almost.' The said softly. I took a breath slightly nervously. I had never been on holiday. When you're in a care home, you don't get luxuries such as holidays. Never at the university had someone given me an opportunity to go on holiday with them as I wasn't really part of the social group, and since then I never really… thought about it. But I had to take risks.

'That would be nice.' I whispered and Theo grinned at me like a child. He came forward about to kiss me.

'HIYA!' Grace shouted beside us and we jumped apart, clearing some space between us. Theo frowned, turning to look at her. She was in a pair of black shorts with floral embellishment at the bottom and a grey baggy t-shirt. Lila was holding her hand.

'When did you get there?' Theo asked up at her and she broke eye contact, thinking.

'About… three minutes ago?' She said looking down at Lila who nodded.

'How was the tour? How did the dance go?' Theo asked, sitting up on the edge of the pondside so he was looking at her.

'It went alright, actually. Luke is still on shift, though. Quite busy with the fundamental lack of replies.' She said.

'Well, I do hope he's not on his phone in the ambulance.' Theo said and Grace nodded.

'Talking of phones – Ellie, can I borrow you? And by borrow, I mean take for around an hour or so?' I nodded, getting out the pool easily and I knew Theo was watching me. 'Lila, can you stay with uncle Theo for an hour or two?' Grace asked her child and Lila happily nodded before jumping in the pool.

'I'll see you inside then, I guess.' I told Theo and he nodded. We were still keeping our relationship status secret – or so it seems. He looked over at Grace before looking back at me. And then Lila jumped on him from the water and he laughed, hugging her. I turned around to Grace and she was just watching with a small smile on her face – she knew exactly what was going on between us.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

I sat down with a blanket around my shoulders as Grace sat opposite me at the table in her own house. Her laptop was to one side and a stack of papers in front of her. I watched as she pulled out a phone.

'This is your new phone. It's got a bug in it so we can record all your conversations and any messages you receive – so please no sexting, I will be reading everything you say via messages and phone calls.' Grace said, sliding over the second-latest Samsung phone. I picked it up and slid it around my in my hands. It was a hell of a lot nicer than my old phone. 'It's been programmed with my number, Luke's, Theo's, Joel's number is on there too, my brother's number and my managers number too. You can contact Jack if you need anything that's not work-related if you need to get hold of me. Jack is a very strong telepath and he can get hold of me if I'm not answering my phone. You just need to sign in the box here to say you consent to me listening to your messages,' She said, sliding the phone over. I did what she said immediately.

'Joel's agreed to give you a new username at work under the name of Megan Harriet. He's explained to your office that Ellie has been involved in an accident and won't be coming back to work for the foreseeable future but we'll get to that in a second, and they've hired a part-time temp to fill Ellie's position. Megan will mainly work from home – that's the excuse so they don't see you. In case Damien looks further, we've made fake birth certificates, fake national insurance, everything.'

'… Damien?' I asked and Grace looked up.

'The care home's manager.' She told me softly and I nodded. I never knew He had a name. I always had to refer to him as Sir until I left, and then he didn't even deserve a name. 'Just again need you to sign to confirm you're willing to go along with the fake name.' She slid over another piece of paper I signed straight away.

'Okay. This is what's going to happen now. Joel had signed you off until Monday but he wants you to write a story on Megan's account tomorrow to get the ball rolling – we agreed it will either be a review of Luke and the work he's done as a paramedic or the dance I did at the school as they're very neutral areas.'

'Right,' I said and she smiled at me shyly.

'On my say so, we've got two undercover Irish agents who will head to Baile leanai Crann darach, which we will refer to now as Oakland in case someone around us is listening, they will head to Oakland and inform Damien there was a fire starting in the flat next to yours due to dodgy wiring, which is what all the official reports is now saying thanks to my persuasion, and you are a missing person. We aren't saying you are deceased or anything, but we're going to tell him it's probable you died in the fire. The fire burnt hot and fast for hours on end which, in all fairness, did hamper the rescue efforts, but we're going to make it seem like you were home at the time of the fire. It should, for now, stop him being on your tail. We will then form enough evidence to get him imprisoned for whatever we can label against him.' Grace said and I nodded.

'Realistically, how long until Theo and I come out in the news?'

'Oh, you are together then?' Grace joked as she flicked through the paperwork. I blushed and Grace looked up, realising she had made me uncomfortable. 'I'd say probably a couple of months but it all depends. Luke told me it would be a year until he would tell the press but because of the kidnapping, it came out earlier. Theo, though, is more in focus with the media so he can't really it hush-hush for long. But he has to keep it hush-hush until Damien and his merry men are behind bars.'

'What about the girls who live at the Baile – sorry, Oakland now?'

'They'll go to another home, somewhere safe. We'll take care of them.' Grace told me softly. 'If they have been abused, they'll enter a victim protection scheme too.'

'Okay.' I nodded. 'When will the men tell Damien?' I asked and she smiled shyly.

'They're moving into position now. When they tell them, I'll be positioned outside your old flat block to see if he ordered anyone to take a look.'

'I'm coming with you.' I said and Grace frowned.

'No you're not.'

'No, I am. I need to see my flat. I need to see if anyone comes looking for me.' I whispered.

'I understand but Theo will probably not allow you to go, it could be dangerous.'

'Well, he won't find out then.'

Grace grinned. 'I knew I liked you for a reason.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

It was about three and a half hours later since Grace gave the go-ahead to the Irish team to tell Damien that I was presumed dead. We had told Theo we were going out down to Joel's to pick up the work I needed and he seemed to agree, trusting Grace. I felt bad I had made her lie to Theo but I had to see for myself.

We drove one of the security decal cars to my old spot – Grace had informed me the tatty old Corsa was her old car she had from her 18th birthday. It had a few issues, but her manager paid for it to be fixed up to drive around inconspicuously; no one would suspect anything of a fourteen-year-old Corsa with dents and scratches. It was quite a nice car, though, inside.

I had nearly cried when I saw the state of my flat; the entire top floors were burnt down and were just hollow shells. There was a security perimeter around the entire the building. Grace found a place to park within full view of the entrance and parked up.

'You okay?' Grace asked for what felt like the hundredth time. She had been watching the cars drive past the block of flats for ages but nothing caught her eye. I wasn't too sure if anyone was going to come – we had been in the car for nearly an hour and a bit now.

'Yeah.' I replied like I had every single time she had said it. She sighed and I realised she had done so much for me and I wasn't giving her much back. 'It's just… I worked so hard for that, you know? I know it's not much and you might think it's not much but…' I sighed but Grace kept her eyes on the road, on her mission, like she was trained to do.

'I came over here to go to university and I had nothing. I had a place to stay, a bank account that I had set up for student finance, and a bagful of clothes. I had to work weekends and evenings in a restaurant in order to pay the bills. I saved up all through universities, all the bursaries, to be able to afford somewhere to live because there was no way I was going back to Ireland once I finished university. Thankfully, the system takes care of kids from care homes that no one wanted to adopt so they were lenient with me. It wasn't much, that place, but it was what I could afford at the time. There were literally two rooms, and I could check food in the oven whilst watching Freeview television on my bed. But... it was independent, and it was home. It's just… weird seeing it all destroyed. It's really sad…' I said.

'I kind of know what you're on about.' Grace said softly, checking the camera battery she had on her lap. 'After my parents died, Jack and I had to sell the family home as I was working in retail for another month or so and then moving completely out to university and Jack was a trainee paediatric nurse at the time. We couldn't afford the bills or anything, so it had to go. I slept on his sofa for a few months. I had my car left and the money from the house was enough to pay for rent for my university living costs. It was like that house was a completely fresh start and it was a hell of a lot of work and dark, so very dark, emotions that went into it. I couldn't imagine what it would have felt like if that had all gone without any choice.' Grace said and I nodded softly.

'I suppose I just have to look forward. Soon Damien will be gone, and I can go back to work and… be with Theo I guess? I dunno, I don't want to be defined by a relationship.' I said looking out the window.

'I know what you mean. And it's hard not to be defined by the title but there are so many other things that define you. Even if the media will define you as just being Theo's girlfriend, there is so much more to you than you think. Like I will never just see myself as the second-in-line fiancé slash wife to be in two weeks time. '

'But you have a kickass job you can refer too when someone ones what you can do.' I said and she nodded.

'True, very true, but I reckon I could also get you to work alongside me in the Palace or wherever you chose to live. You are 100% smart enough for the job and you are very focused and can pick out the key bits of information – that's the job you have now. You just need to be trained… that's if you want too.' I frowned but before I could ask anymore Grace leaned forward. 'There.' She whispered.

I watched as a car with blacked out windows pulled up next to the fence. Grace snapped a photo as three men got out the car. Two were very skinny, one ginger and one with a shaved head, and a third man got out who was plumper. All three were in tracksuits and had baseball caps on. I got out the recorder Grace had given to me and focused the lens on them. She continued to snap away.

The men observed the building, and I could see them gesturing to the top floor of the building where I lived. They then looked around and as I flinched back into the seat Grace took another photo. I could see them talking about ways I could have escaped – that much was evident from the pointing. The ginger boy looked directly at the car for a few moments – we were parallel parked in among the roads next so some houses and then looked away. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. But then men seemed to agree on something. I frowned as one of the guys opened the boot of the car and took out several bunches of flowers. They then laid them down by the fencing, got in the car and left.

'I was right. They came to look for you and agreed there is no where you could have gone and must have died. They must have already searched Joel's house and assumed you died in the fire…'

'Those flowers? They're for me?' I whispered.

'Yup. Either Damien told them to lay the flowers or they'll closely watch the flowers, see if they more and so on. But either way, it means our plan has worked and there is no reason for them to believe that something more sinister is happening.' Grace told me and she smiled. 'We just need to stay here for another ten minutes or so in case they are waiting, but the second we get back, you can safely start your new time.' Grace said with a cheeky smile.

I smiled, but had the worst feeling deep down.

I knew this wasn't the end – things wouldn't be so simple – and I had a gut feeling that things would be a whole lot worse than it was before.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hiya! Sorry for the late chapter - I have university exams all of next week which has taken up the majority of the time but I couldn't help but give a small, fluffy chapter. It is about to get a whole lot more serious for Theo and Ellie in the next few chapters - spoilers! - so I couldn't help but give a small dash of cuteness!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Grace sighed as she turned the engine on of her old car before turning into the road to do a turn. I had been silent following the incident, staring at the flowers frowning. Grace didn't overly attempt to speak to me, either, and I knew she thought it was best to give me some time to think about what had happened. Sure to her word, she left around ten minutes after the tracksuit men had left the site.

'I guess you can start over now. Everything tying you to your old past is gone. Damien and his merry Adidas man believes you are dead and have laid flowers to you and soon they'll all be in prison on remand. At work, you're under a fake name and Theo is working on adding you to the residence list for Buckingham Palace.' Grace said and I looked over at her, not knowing the latter. Grace put the car into gear and drove off slowly in the opposite direction of the flats. I turned around and looked over my shoulder to see the receding building, my home, disappear.

'You can be anyone you want to be now, Ellie.' Grace said.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

What Grace has said really did ring to mind over the next two weeks. I threw everything I had into rebuilding my life completely differently. As I got home that day, I sat down with a company-issued laptop and wrote an article about Grace heading down to a private Catholic school in Farnborough where she visited on her first official visit. Joel had sent through the link to the video, and the article was done within the hour, sent to Joel to be cleared and processed and published, even though the women who was the main focus of the article, was sitting opposite the table.

The second focus was Theo. We were practically inseparable, and the second I started putting effort into our relationship, everything flourished. We grew stronger together and whenever I needed him, he was there, and the second he needed me I stepped up to the role. We stayed in the same place within Buckingham Palace, in the same bed. Three days a week, I headed into work and stayed in the a tiny damp office and sat there, writing stories about my boyfriend, his brother, his sister-in-law to be, his niece or extended family. When I went home, I had dinner with Caroline who I had grown to see as a maternal figure.

The other two days, Grace travelled up from her home in Windsor to start training me in self-defence and the skills I would need to one day work with her if I ever wanted too. It was incredibly hard work at the beginning with Grace teaching me how to box correctly – and then we started to ballet work.

'Why are we doing ballet?' I asked her.

'You need balance and precision in order to take someone down.' Grace said and I frowned. 'Especially if they are bigger than you.' I continued to look at her like she was crazy and she sighed. 'Theo?' She called.

Theo, who was sat on the floor on the other side of the room reading a book looked up. He was in a pair of glasses – something I didn't know about him until recently, that he needed glasses to read for a prolonged period. 'Yeah?' He asked Grace hesitantly.

'Here please.' She said and he sighed dramatically.

'You're going to floor me again, aren't you?'

'Yup.' She said and I frowned. There was no way Grace, a five foot zero girl of a very slim frame girl who looked like she had only just turned sixteen, could take down Theo – a six foot two hench man who works out every other day. But Theo was very reluctant to get up, so I knew that Grace had it in her to take him to the floor and I frowned.

Theo reluctantly got up and put his book down on the floor, taking his glasses off. He kissed me on the way through, his hand gently touching my waist. 'Should you be doing this considering you're getting married in two days time?' Theo asked her.

'… yeah?' Grace replied back tentatively. It was the Wednesday before her wedding. The Friday of the wedding itself had been classed as a bank holiday, the majority of office places were closed, many shop would be closed too or had limited trading hours. It was a time for celebration - or as many used to put it at the office, it was celebrating the least likely man in Buckingham Palace to be in a long-term relationship was getting married. 'It's only your pretty face you're concerned about.' She joked.

'Ellie?' Grace then said and I looked. Theo frowned as he looked over this shoulder. Before I even knew what had happened, Grace had hit Theo in the neck, put his hand to his chest, turned him around and got him on the floor.

'God, you're quick for a mother.' Theo laughed laying on the floor with Grace's foot on his upper back.

'Did that not hurt?' I asked Theo as he laid on the floor.

'I do try not to hurt him, not very good for family relations.' Grace laughed.

'I can floor her back as well, Ellie, don't worry.' Theo joked back and Grace cackled as she got off him and gave him a hand to get up. 'I can totally flaw you.' He mocked.

'SIS hostage training, three tours in the army and a red belt in Karate and you still have nothing on me.' Grace mocked. 'Ellie, what I was trying to say before someone decided to start talking, was fighting and self-defence isn't always about who is the strongest or who has the most experienced. It's down to how you know how to position. If you act quickly and elegantly and to the advantage of your own body, strength or experience of the enemy comes down to nothing.'

Grace and I worked solidly on my ability to defend myself up until the morning of her wedding.

Theo, at one o'clock in the morning, drove through the streets of London easily. I was fully aware that Joel and I were on the lockdown shift for Grace and Luke's wedding – Drill was running a live feed following the footage for the wedding, and who better to do the live stream than Joel, the assistant director of news and the old Royal editor, albeit under a fake name.

'You sure you can't call in sick or something and come to the wedding?' Theo asked as he turned into the delivery bay. I shrugged.

'I can't, it's too late.' I whispered. Theo nodded. 'Besides, I wouldn't be with you during the wedding.' Luke chose his older brother to be best man, with his paramedic partner of three years and one of his childhood friends. Theo smiled slightly.

'True, I guess. It's a shame I didn't find you earlier, you would look beautiful in the bridesmaid dresses Grace chose out.' Theo mumbled and I frowned. 'You and Grace have become completely inseparable – if I had met you earlier, Grace would have jumped on you to be a bridesmaid for her.' He pulled to a stop by the delivery bay and I saw Joel waiting around for me by the lift.

The car was silent for a while as we sat there.

'I guess you need to go back and have some sleep before the wedding.' I whispered and Theo nodded. 'I'll see you in thirty-six hours then.' I said and turned to him.

'I don't want you to go.' Theo said and he lulled his head back at me and he frowned slightly at me. 'I really don't want you to go, Ellie.'

'I really don't have a choice.' I mumbled and he turned the car off, turning to look at me.

'Look, don't panic, but I love you Ellie.' Theo told me and my mouth dropped. 'I know it's soon, we've only been together for three weeks. I know you'll freak out and you'll go into work and you'll sit in there for thirty-six hours trying to work out what to do and panicking. Ellie, you have turned my life upside down in those three weeks. I went from being bland and boring and just being some figure head to actually being someone all because of you. It give's me so much pleasure to wake up every morning to see you there, spending all day with you. Even when you're sitting there working on your laptop the little frown on your forehead, you make me so happy just knowing that I had someone in my life that I care about so much.' He told me sweetly. 'It's like a purpose now. With you by my side I have a purpose. You have made me a better person. I can't stop thinking about you. I want you constantly by my side never to leave even though I know that isn't possible. I love you Ellie.'

I just sat there silently not too sure what to say. It had crossed my mind that I did potentially love Theo but I was too scared to even probe the thought. Any form of affection normally hurt me.

'When you're writing about the wedding, just… think about that.' Theo said before he leaned forward and kissed me. 'I better let you go, Joel looks cold.'

'Er.. yeah… um… okay.' I said and he kissed me again.

'I haven't… ruined this, have I?' Theo asked gently, his hand running down my arm. 'I just needed you to know.'

'No. I just… I… I never expected it.' I mumbled and he smiled.

'Go and be brilliant,' Theo said, kissing me again as I opened the door. 'Thirty-six hours and I'll see you again. Good luck, sweetheart.'

'You too.' I mumbled as I climbed out the car. I saw Theo watch me as I closed the door and walked over to where Joel was. The light on the floor disappeared and I could hear Theo's car driving away.

'You're looking awfully shell-shocked for one in the morning,' Joel told me as he came over and hugged me tightly, before he handed me a security card. As the office was closed we had to go through and get vetted by the security of Buckingham Palace to make sure we weren't any threat to the stories of what will be published about the wedding.

'Theo just told me he loves me.' I whispered, and Joel stared at me. 'Now you're looking shell-shocked for 1 am.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Joel and I were sat opposite sides of the table next to the coffee vendor that we used to go to every morning. The shutters were down on all windows and Joel was making coffee on tap for us. We had our laptops on the table split screens; one window with twitter feeds searching the trending news of the wedding and the Drills' live feed of the wedding, and the other was the feed programmer we were typing the messages on. It was about to turn eight in the morning when the feed would start; already there were over a million followers waiting for the feed; we were one of two companies allowed to do a live feed – the other being a very serious newspaper.

'So, we've been cleared to do a conversation type feed, we would talk to each other across the feed and we will report the information needed, all of it is the folders.' Joel said, passing me a coffee cup with something in it. 'Not that you need to know, you probably know the majority of the stuff anyway.' He mocked as he sat opposite me with a small grin on his face. I heard his type and the first message on the feed popped up, telling everyone the feed was opened and introduced both of us.

'I know a bit.' I told Joel honestly. I typed my first message.

'Next time we're reporting a Royal wedding, you might not be here.' Joel said and I looked up at him, cocking my eyebrow. I pressed enter on the code, watching the method pop up.

'You suggesting I'll be dead?' I joked and he laughed, shaking his head.

'No, I'm suggesting it'll be you getting married to Theo.' I met Joel's eye across the table as I took a sip of coffee. 'All I am saying is you have moved into Theo's place, become inseparable at that time and now he loves you.'

'Is this a warning message?' I asked him,

'No. No of course not. I cannot thank Theo enough for helping you. He gave you a house, a home, some people to call your family. He is helping you in ways that, perhaps, you didn't even know you needed help. I'm a bit twitchy about him still, I've convinced no one is good enough for you. But, if you two get serious and get engaged and get married, I will have to do this with Anastasia.' He joked pointing to the laptop.

'No, you'd be coming to the wedding.' I laughed and Joel smiled at me.

 ** _With the wedding due to start at twelve o'clock, we can expect movement from Buckingham Palace from his Royal Highness Prince Luke and his Royal Highness Prince Theo, who is Luke's best man, probably an hour and a bit before the wedding. Grace, who is staying at a five-star hotel around half an hour from Westminster Abbey, will be expected to move to arrive at 11:45._** I pressed send.

'I would be?' Joel said, frowning. I'm not wearing those funny hats, though, the ones with the feathers.'

'Fascinator.' I corrected him. 'You only wear one of those if you're female, Joel.' I mumbled. Joel typed heavily and posted another comment and entered it.

'Have you thought about getting married ever?' He asked me and I shook my head.

'Never thought it was realistic. Never thought I'd have the opportunity to get away from my past.'

'Now you have – so would you? If Theo asked you in the middle of next year to marry him, would you agree?'

'Joel that is so circumstantial. At the moment, with Him still out running around, I can't show my face. So no.'

'And if Grace's plan works fine and he gets locked away forever?'

'Then…' I thought about it. 'I dunno.' I mumbled.

 ** _So, whilst Joel is running over the groom's side of the wedding, I will comb through the bridal party – after I get another coffee._** I entered and looked up at Joel where he continued to look at me.

'Do you want to know why I married Sarah?' Joel asked me and I frowned as I sat back in the chair. 'The thought of losing her was too much to bear. I needed her to know that.'

The thought of losing Theo was too much to bear. Joel looked at me and nodded, knowing that I had thought he wanted me to think.

'I know it scares the shit out of you, any form of commitment. You can't even buy a tub of instant hot chocolate because that means you have to drink at least 20 cups of the same hot chocolate.' Joel mocked and I smiled, holding up the cup and he smiled as well. 'But yeah, if you and Theo get married, this will be you.'

'I'm totally not ready for that level of media. I'd get torn to shreds.' I laughed. My phone buzzed and I frowned, leaning forward and I saw a message from Grace. I quickly slid open the message and saw a simple message.

 _Can you hurry up and get another coffee? Trying to read your live feed but you're taking too long to get a coffee._

I laughed before I showed Joel the message and he also grinned.

 _Haven't you got a wedding to be getting ready for, Grace?_ I messaged back and she replied back straight away with a photo.

She was sitting on the edge of a regal-looking bed and I could see a man who looks the spitting image of Grace leaning on the sideboard where the TV is, with Lila sitting beside him in a cute white floor-length dress that had a gorgeous floral netting over the top.

 _I am getting ready but I'm waiting for someone to update their feed._

I started typing and Joel looked up at me. 'Guessing Grace has persuaded you to finish where you were going with that then?'

'It looks like she's not even ready yet. Lila is though.' I said passing my phone over to him. He pressed the photo and grinned. 'I always forget how much her brother looks like her.'

 ** _So, of course, you have Grace – the beautiful bride to be who has won over the entire World with her kind heart and her wonderful parenting skills when it comes to her three-year-old daughter Lila – who is constantly hyperactive._**

 ** _Her Chief bridesmaid is her best friend from university – Mycelia Kundorafski. Mycelia and Grace clicked instantly in the second year of university at Cambridge when they shared all the modules they chose together. They also lived together for two years. Her other university flatmate, Sara Hudkinson is also a bridesmaid. Three of her cousins; Crystal Benedict, Phoenix Benedict and Sky Bright, are also bridesmaids, alongside three of Luke's cousins that, reportedly, Grace get's on well with; Lady Amelia, Lady Eleanor and Lady Claudine._**

 ** _Of course, her daughter Lila is the flower girl and is reported to be in a stunningly adorable dress. However, it is unfortunately common knowledge that Grace's parents died five years back so her older and only brother Jack Williams will be walking her down the aisle, although she will be doing her parents incredibly proud._**

I pressed send.

'Does Grace really like any of these people?' Joel asked, taking a sip of his coffee. 'I know Mycelia and Sara she's good friends with. But her cousins? And Luke's cousins?'

'She's really close with her cousins – but they're her cousin's wife's or fiancées. But I know she hates the three of Luke's cousins that are her bridesmaids, but she did it out of tradition.' I told Joel and he nodded.

'You think if you and Theo got together sooner you'd have been a bridesmaid?' Joel asked, mirroring Theo's words from earlier. 'I know you two are close, every time I came to visit you, you were hanging around with her.'

'She is actually the sweetest person you'll ever meet. I went to her room in the Palace in tears at half five in the morning and she welcomed me in without even questioning it. She brought me clothes when I had nothing days after the fire, let me cry on her shoulder. She helped me when everyone else apart from you would have pushed me out.' I told Joel.

'Even when I saw her and spoke to her on a few occasions I was at the Palace she seemed lovely and genuine. I'm happy for her – it's rare I'll say that about Royals – but I'm happy for Grace and Luke. They deserve each other.' Joel said.

The wedding was absolutely lovely. Grace looked incredible in a long ivory dress with flower embroidered overlay and a long train. Her face lit up as she saw Luke, and Luke teared up the second he saw how beautiful Grace was. Throughout the ceremony, Luke held the hand of Lila as she stood beside them as they said their vowels. I couldn't help but notice Theo who stood to one side throughout the entire ceremony looking incredibly handsome in his red service uniform and medals across his chest. And Joel's words ran through my mind; this could be me one day.

Grace, Luke and Lila all got into a car and headed to the palace after, and with Grace now officially royalty and with the title _Her Royal Highness_ to be said before her name at all times in the media. The car went into the Palace and about half an hour later Grace and Luke appeared on the balcony of the Palace, waving to the absolute masses of people who had turned up in the street to greet them. Grace then picked up Lila and rested her on the hip and Lila also waved before they headed back in. I knew there was a reception in the Palace that was barred from the media.

We had signed off the live stream which has peaked at 12 million followers as we provided details of everything, everyone who was at the church, the designers of the dresses, everything. Theo had to text me the moment he could and was due to pick me up 4 am in the morning as we had done a hell of a lot better with statistics than thought so we could go home. I felt bad for Theo; the reception didn't finish until midnight and I was asking him to pick me up at 4 am but he refused to let me get the tube at a ridiculous time in the morning, but he had already told me that I would be shattered so we could just sleep during the day and it wouldn't be an issue.

Joel, who was always like a father figure to me from the second I started working at Drill and knowing I didn't really know how to establish my own thoughts, sat me down and spoke to me about everything. He spoke to me about what I wanted to achieve in life and whether living at Buckingham Palace meant that. I told him that as much as I loved the Palace I wouldn't want to live there forever. But I didn't want to leave Theo. I was terrified for the future but I wasn't too sure what to do about it.

4 am eventually rolled around.

'Go home, Joel.' I said. We locked the building on the way out and now we stood in the carpark. His brother, Andrew, was in the car next to us and was waiting for about fifteen minutes. Theo text me there was traffic from people partying in the street and he'll be here ASAP.

'You sure you'll be safe?'

'I'm in a carpark in a building that's closed until 9 am, I'm perfectly safe.' I laughed. 'Go home, Joel.' I said and he hugged me. 'Let me know when you get home safe, okay?' I nodded before he got in his car. Andrew waved at me as he drove off and I waved back. It was only a few more minutes until I saw Theo walk down the ramp to the carpark in a long black coat. He had taken the hood down and I could see his blonde hair with small curls in from over here. I walked towards him. I could see Theo look around the carpark before he saw me.

'Some twat parked blocking the entrance.' He shouted at me and I grinned. We were around fifteen feet away from each other as he held his arms out. I ran towards him, jumping at him as I hugged him. Sure enough, he wrapped his arms around me, one around my shoulders gently playing with my hair and the other tight around my waist as he spins me around.

'Hello, beautiful.' He whispered to me, kissing the top of my head.

'Theo, I think I love you too.' I mumbled back and he kissed me softly.

'How'd you come to that conclusion overnight? Well, overday?' He asked as he gently took my hand and went to walk me back upstairs.

'I just…' I tried to think how Joel had talked me out of my normal emotional bush, where every single emotion was hidden away and became meaningless, into realising not all emotions were negative. 'I dunno, I just do.' I said, getting embarrassed. Theo, who sensed this, leaned his head on the top of mine and nodded.

'That's a good enough reason for me.' He said and I blushed. 'I do mean it though, Ellie. I do love you – and it does scare the shit out of me too.' He said as we ducked under the car park barriers.

'And my God does it scared me too, Theo, but I love you too.'

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The next few weeks went by near enough perfectly. After the wedding, Grace and Luke went off on their honeymoon for a week with Theo and Caroline taking turns to look after Lila before they came back tanned and happy to pick up their daughter for the second part of their honeymoon – a family trip to Disneyworld in Florida. They had chosen to stay in a Disney resort with Lila, security around them at all times, and had hired out a golf buggy and paid for a trip for them to swim with dolphins.

All in England remained the same; I carried on working three days a week at Drill during the week, and the other two days and my weekends I had off and joined Theo. After Grace returned back from her honeymoon, wedding band happily on her finger, she went back to training me up to the level of standards she was at – and I got there pretty soon. I learnt how to channel other people's emotions to my benefit, and how to use the anger of others to protect myself. One day, without Grace telling me, she had got one of her cousins from America over to "ambush" me to see if I could handle myself. I did – and her cousin ended up with a broken nose.

I had to fill in hundreds of forms in order to get Damien to court for historical sex abuse scandals and, to my surprise and horror, four other girls who were at the care home (none at the same time I was) also came forward when Irish police went around to previous and current care home members secretly at asking for character reports of Damien. Grace sat me down in a small room, completely away from Theo, gave me a spiral ring bound book with a date section pre-printed in the corner and a complete calendar diary dating back until the early 2000's. She asked me to report every single case I could remember in as much detail as I could muster. It took me two weeks to fill it in dating to the fire and the notebook was full.

Damien O'Scotte was arrested for historical child sex abuse, rape, statutory rape of a minor under 16, arson and attempted murder on the 4th December. All the care home workers were also arrested for similar offences, or conspiracy to commit or perverting the course of justice. It broke headline news as well and Joel had to text me to say Drill was running the case. They didn't name any of the four "whistle-blowers" – the main one being myself, but knew we would have to appear in court. Theo that day knew what was happening, Grace had warned him and just sat beside me the entire day.

On the approach to Christmas, we swiftly realised that we had no plans. Of course, the Royal's Christmas was a few days before Christmas and everyone was expected to come – I didn't think that included me but I was swiftly proven wrong.

I held the envelope with the invitation peaking out from inside.

'You want me to come to your family dinner?' I asked Caroline as she stood in front of me. Theo was to one side of the room with a cat on his lap. The cat was a stray in London who had waltz into Buckingham Palace two months ago and made himself at home rather promptly – living predominantly in Queen Caroline's chambers but roaming the corridors during the day too. Theo had brought me over to Caroline's as he wanted to talk to his mother but I ended up getting invited to their Christmas meal.

'You're family now, Ellie.' Caroline said and I stood there shocked. 'I mean, I do wish Theodore told me about the whole Soulfinder aspect sooner,' She said, glaring over at her eldest son.

'There was a cat on my lap.' Theo said, gesturing to the furry orange fuzz of the mog that was sitting on his lap, purring away contently.

'Has there been a cat on your lap since October, Theodore?'

'On and off… and stop calling me Theodore, I haven't done anything wrong this time.' Theo mocked, stroking Tango – what we had named the cat. 'Also, I had to try and outlast Luke on this one – and I did so quite successfully.' He mocked as Caroline rolled her eyes.

'You're family now, Ellie, we're all here for you. It's nothing too major.' I raised my eyebrow and she came over and hugged me, a very maternal hug and I felt almost at home. 'You know all the close people, you know Grace, Luke and Lila. Everyone else is arseholes but I want you to come.' She said softly to me.

'Okay… what do I wear though?' I whispered, and she smiled. I looked over at Theo and have given me a small smile and a nod, reassuring me I had done the correct thing.

'We can find something for you, don't worry about that.' Caroline said and I assumed it had meant a horrific formal ballgown. I was so happy when Grace and I had been fitted for informal tea dresses. Grace's dress was black with floral embroidery on the shoulders and down one side of the dress to the hem which fell above her knee. My dress was a plain burgundy, nipping in at my waist and falling to my knee, and had a black collar on top.

The meal itself was lovely; there was no press apart from outside the Palace who snapped photos of those who were attending, including Luke, Grace and Lila as they drove in from Windsor – but it meant as Theo and I lived in the Palace that no one knew who I was. Theo's entire family was there which made me want to find a quite hole somewhere and cry, but sure enough, he introduced me to everyone and most seemed overwhelmingly pleased Theo had found someone. The meal was cooked to perfection and I left soon after with Theo and went up to the room to find the news the trial for Damien had been pushed back until the new year due to copious amounts of media interest.

Christmas this year was to be held at Luke's house in Windsor; Theo and I were invited to stay a few days in the outside house they apparently had built in recent years and Caroline was to come down after her live broadcast Christmas speech and stay the night too.

We arrived at the house around midday on Christmas Eve to be pounced on by an excited Lila. Theo had barely got out of his car when Lila jumped on him.

'Uncle Theo! Santa's in Australia at the moment!' she shouted and Theo picked her up.

'That's still really far away, Lils?' He said as I came over to him.

'I'm going to stay up and wait for Santa.' She concluded.

'But Lila – Santa doesn't come to you unless you're asleep.' I added and she frowned.

'What if I pretend to be asleep?' She asked as I stood next to Theo. He smiled at me.

'Santa will know.' Theo told her.

Turns out, Lila's vowel to stay up until midnight appeared to be true. We had settled down on the sofa's in Luke's lounge at around half five to watch films. Lila sat on Grace's lap and fell asleep halfway through. Luke took out his phone and took a photo with Grace pretending to celebrate before uploading it to his Instagram – but it was short lived. Lila woke up before the end of the film, jumped up and laughed.

'She did say she was staying up to see Santa,' Theo mocked and both Luke and Grace gave him a dirty look. He laughed, putting his arm around me as I cuddled into him.

At eight o'clock, Lila fell asleep again – this time substantially past her bedtime – and Grace gently carried her upstairs. About fifteen minutes later, Grace came downstairs and fist pumped in the air in celebration – however Lila was back awake at ten.

'Mummy! Santa is nearly here!' She shouted at a very done Grace.

'He won't be coming unless you get back into bed and fall asleep. Santa doesn't like little girls who constantly wake up.' Lila's eyes went wide.

'But… I've been a good girl. Wouldn't Santa's present already be on his sleigh for me?' Lila asked Grace and she looked at Luke.

'She's got her stubbornness from you.' Grace added. 'Yes, they would be Lila but you have to be asleep or Santa will give it to the girl next door instead.'

'Okay! I'll go back to bed!' Lila shouted before she went back to bed with Grace.

'Don't have kids you two.' Luke said.

'Yeah, you're really struggling aren't you?' Theo mocked back. 'All you've done is take photos.'

It got to half eleven and Luke and Grace realised Lila was now sound asleep and got out her presents from the office, and with some help from us, dumped them under the tree. Theo and I then retired to the "annexe" down the bottom of their garden. The "annexe" was, in fact, a massive barn conversion; a single floor small house that had a lovely amount of space without being too much; there was a sliding door which Theo unlocked, greeting the security, and as we walked in, walls had been build to the beams on the roof. There was a lounge that we walked into; a small grey sofa with a tartan throw over it, a minimalistic Christmas tree with golden baubles and fairy lights and a TV on the wall. There was already presents under the tree. There was a small kitchen to the right and a hallway leading up to the end of the barn, with one side being the bedroom and the other a bathroom. Theo closed the curtain covering the door.

'Merry Christmas.' Theo said coming over to me and looking at me deeply. He ran his hand through my hair.

'It's not Christmas… not yet?' I said shivering slightly, my breath caught in my throat.

'It's ten past midnight.' He mumbled, kissing me ever so gently, biting my lip as he pulled away. 'So, Merry Christmas beautiful.' He said as he kissed me again. I was the one who deepened the kiss. We didn't know what had come over us but Theo gently pushed me against the wall as he ran his hand up and down my front. He pulled away quickly, checking my face for any form of regret or denial, but there was none.

He picked me up quickly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he started kissing my neck, his hand in my hair as he took me into the bedroom, throwing me down on the bed before climbing on top of me. My hand ran around his jeans, unbuckling them.

'Ellie.' Theo said out of breath with a look of remorse on his face. 'Are you sure? It's okay If you're not – '

'No, Theo, I'm sure. I told him and he kissed me again, hard, as Christmas day rolled around.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day and will continue to have a good rest of the year! This chapter was getting a bit too long so I had to break it into two, and there is more drama yet to come in the next chapter so stay tuned! Also, please let me know how you think this is going!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I woke up early Christmas morning – around half six in the morning – with Theo spooning me again. The room was incredibly nice and cosy. It was quite small, but I guess it was only a small annexe for friends and family who were staying with Grace and Luke so it was more than what was needed. The wall behind the double bed was made from small logs. In front of me, there was a cream wall with two builds in wardrobes down the far end and a chest of drawers near the head of the bed made out of oak and had a small potted plant on top. I felt Theo's hands run up and down my waist.

'Morning.' He whispered to me softly and I grinned, rolling over onto my back before hugging the blanket to cover my chest. Theo smiled down at me as he propped himself up on his elbow before he kissed me again.

'Morning,' I mumbled, blushing. 'Merry Christmas,' I added, remembering what day it was.

'How did you sleep?' Theo asked me, running his finger down my face before resting his hand on my shoulder.

'Good, yeah.' I said and he frowned. 'You?'

'Brilliant.' He said continued to look at me.

'Right, I'm going to have a shower.' I whispered, wiggling out of bed and standing up.

'Ellie?' Theo said ever so tenderly, and I turned around. He opened his mouth, before looking up and down and he closed his mouth. 'Forgot what I was going to say. You know what, I need a shower too.' He said.

'There are two showers in this place?' I asked as Theo also got out of bed.

'Nope, just the one.' He said and I grinned.

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Just over an hour later, we were both changed and had unwrapped presents, and began heading back up to the main house. Theo gently held my hand before he frowned at my Christmas jumper. He held my hand, occasionally bumping my shoulder as he walked.

'When did you get this Christmas jumper?' Theo asked me softly as we followed the gravel path. 'I don't remember any parcels coming of that size.'

'I got it when I was on break one day,' Theo nodded. 'Went to Primark and found the most outrageously hideous jumper I could find.'

'Well, somehow, you're still wearing it perfectly.' He said smiling slightly.

'It's awful!' I laughed, 'That's what you're meant to do… isn't it?' I mumbled.

'You've never had a Christmas day with people before?' He laughed. I just remain silent and looked down at the floor. Theo stopped in his tracks. 'You've… never had a proper Christmas day?' He asked me seriously. 'Why didn't you tell me, Ellie?' He whispered.

'I dunno what happened before I went to the care home… so perhaps there was twice that I might have before my parents decided to leave me for dead. The care home? Not a chance. University – everyone went back home for Christmas and I either stayed put or went back to the care home, and after that when I had my place it was just a welcome day off.' I told him. 'I had no reason to celebrate.' I told him and he looked at me. I looked down at the floor upset with bringing up the past. Theo gently took a step forward and kissed me.

'Oh, sweetheart.' He said before he hugged me tightly. I sobbed slightly, and he held me tighter. 'I'm so sorry.' He said his hand through my hair. Theo pulled away and gently wiped my tears away for me. 'I promise you, from every year from here on in, you will have a brilliant Christmas starting from this year. I will never let you down, I will never let you go back into that life. You will be by my side for as long as we both live.' He kissed the top of my nose.

'Thank you.' I whispered, and he smiled at me. 'But seriously… you didn't need to buy things like this.' I whispered as my fingers gently caressed Tiffany's necklace he got me – a beautiful dipped heart with gems in it on the longer chain. The Pandora bracelet sat on my wrist with three charms on it; a Disney Mickey Mouse Face, a rose gold Christmas Tree and a silver heart with a gold Mickey Mouse and Minnie mouse on jingling around. 'It isn't needed.' I told him truthfully and he shrugged.

'I was talking to Grace about the Disney collection at Pandora and I asked her what Pandora was and that's how this all happened – I saw it and knew you would look brilliant with it on.' Theo told me gently. 'I didn't buy it for you because I was trying to impress you, I bought it for you because… it was you. Same with the necklace.'

'Thank you.' I whispered again and he kissed me gently. 'Come on then, beautiful, Christmas day starts here.' He told me gently.

We entered Grace and Luke's house through the back door and without even stepping foot in the kitchen, Lila came running around the door in some Christmassy onesie and jumped at us, hugging us both whilst shouting "ITS CHRISTMAS" at the top of her lungs. Theo bent down and picked her up, kissing my temple as he walked past, kicking off his Timberlands and heading into the lounge. I kicked off my trainers and jogged to catch up with him. Luke was sitting on the sofa, arm around Grace who happily laid against him.

'Merry Christmas.' The two of them said in tune with each other. Grace had an orange juice in her hand and Luke something fizzy; perhaps alcoholic.

'You too,' Theo said. 'Found an excited child running around.' He poked Lila's tummy and she laughed happily before he bent down and placed her on the floor. Theo then gently took my hand and led me to the sofa on the other side of the lounge onto the other cream sofa that was against the wall under the stairs. Grace met my eye, nodded to the bracelet and I smiled and blushed.

'Go on then, Lila, you can open your presents from Santa.' Luke told his daughter who grinned before running to the pile of boxes wrapped up perfectly under the tree.

'You made your three year old daughter wait to open her presents from Santa? Do you have no heart?' Theo asked his younger brother. Grace got up leaning from Luke and went to sit down on the floor with Lila. Luke sat on the sofa too.

'We were expecting you to come over earlier.' Luke told us with a look and I must have blushed as Luke just grinned at us before he shook his head, focusing on his daughter.

'Had a lay in.' Theo lied fluently.

'Mmm… not what Ellie's face said.' Luke mocked.

'Oi, Luke, not in front of Lila.' Grace said sharply as Lila unwrapped a kitchen set, holding it up excitedly.

Lila, being a very grateful child and wanting to play with every single toy she had, took almost over an hour to open all her presents. It got to the end and Luke threw a small soft present at Grace, who caught it off reflex before he grinned at her. Theo frowned as he looked at me.

'What are those two up too?' He whispered to me. I watched as Grace handed Lila the present, whispering to her quietly and Lila grinned, walking out the room happily.

'What are you doing?' Theo asked Luke.

'What do you mean what are we doing?'

'Where did Lila go?' Luke and Grace looked at each other with a grin. I frowned as Lila walked in wearing a shirt that was a few sizes too big for her. Across the front had the words "BIG SISTER TO BE" across the front. Grace held her arm around and Lila came over to her hugging her.

'Really?' Theo asked and I just clocked what it meant.

'You're pregnant?' I asked Grace and she grinned and nodded.

'Really early days – about five weeks if that.' Luke said. 'But yeah. The midwife has said on August 31st but we have to wait for the scan. We have one booked in beginning in January.' Luke took a photo on his phone. 'We don't know whether to tell Mum yet or not.' Luke got up, picking up Lila on his hip, kissing her cheek before helping Grace up. I knew Theo took a photo before getting up, going over and hugged his younger brother and Grace.

I got up as well, standing slightly awkward. Luke caught my eye before holding his arm out. I walked over and hugged him too.

'Congratulations.' I whispered to him and he smiled.

'Thank you, Ellie, it means a lot.' He told me honestly. 'You too.'

'Luke.' Grace told him off. I walked over and hugged Grace too.

'Congrats.' I mumbled, 'Thought you didn't want to be heavily pregnant in summer again.'

'We 100% thought after the complication and surgeries last time it wouldn't happen this quick. Doctors said it would take a good seven or eight months… but hey ho.' Grace told me, shrugging. 'Just got to hope for a cold summer.'

'Lila, how do you feel about it? Are you excited to be a big sister?' Theo asked his niece gently and she nodded.

'Ya! I'm going to have a sister or a brother!' Lila seemed over the moon.

'Oh hey look, an older sister who will like their sibling when they're born.' Luke aimed at Theo and he rolled his eyes.

'I have apologised for hating you.' Theo mocked, 'Not my fault if you have issues over that still.'

Theo and Luke continued to mock each other before Christmas dinner started to be cooked. The adults seemed to head out into the kitchen whilst I sat in the lounge, playing dolls with Lila. I wasn't even too sure when Theo had entered the room but when I looked up, he was leaning against the doorframe smiling at me, a deep look in his eyes.

'Lila, Nanny's going to be here any minute now, do you want to go out and get dressed into the dress on your bed?' Theo said and Lila nodded, running up the stairs.

'Guessing we're going with we're not telling Caroline then?' I asked Theo as he came over, taking my hand and helping me stand up.

'They've decided to wait for the scan to make sure everything is all good before telling Caroline. She will be crazy when she finds out – she has wanted another grandchild for about a year now, she wants another baby to hold and pander over.' Theo kissed my forehead. 'Probably best not to excite her too much at Christmas.'

So no one even mentioned it at Christmas dinner which was cooked to perfection again. No one even questioned why Grace had orange juice and water at the table whilst everyone else had wine. After dinner, Luke took Lila upstairs as she fell asleep on Grace and we all sat around and watched the Queen's speech – despite Caroline being in the room sitting beside me.

'I'm just going to call Joel.' I said as Grace fell asleep against Luke who hugged her, his hand occasionally resting on her lower abdomen where their baby grew. Luke smiled at me as I got up and Theo nodded. Caroline was also asleep on the settee next to us.

'Tell him I said Merry Christmas too.' Theo whispered as I walked out the room. I went into the garden, dialling Joel on my phone. He picked up on the fourth ring.

'Good morning, Ellie.' I heard Joel say on the line and I smiled, 'Merry Christmas.' He said to me softly.

'Merry Christmas Joel.'

'How is everything going at Luke's place? Everything going fine? I can come and pick you up if you don't feel comfortable – I'm less than an hour away from Windsor and I don't mind –'

'Joel, Joel – everything is going brilliantly. It's all been fine.' I told him and I knew he was smiling. 'I think I like Christmas.' I added.

'You should do, and I am so glad you finally have someone to celebrate the season with. I have to admit I was very wary of your relationship with Theo but he has appeared to prove himself worthy.'

'God, you're like a stereotypical mother and a father rolled into one, Joel.'

'I will act forever as your stereotypical mother and a father from now on in, then – I can totally do that. Guess we have to have the contraception talk soon then –'

'Oh my god.' I simply said.

'Unless…'

'Joel!' I hissed and he laughed.

'Oh my God.' He repeated and I didn't reply. 'You little Devil… really?'

'Joel please, not here.' I whispered and he gasped dramatically.

'That's it! Tomorrow, we're having THAT talk. Sara gave it to the girls for me but I just have to step up to the mark this time.' I blushed so much I hung up the phone on him as a mock way to get him to shut up. I couldn't help but grin though; Joel was not only my best friend but to me, he was also a paternal figure I could trust on… and he would totally give me the talk yesterday.

My phone rang and I picked up, thinking it was Joel.

'Listen carefully, Ellie. You will not have anyone to rely on anymore if you do not follow my instructions. You will be a dead girl walking if you do not comply. Do you understand me?' The voice was deep and authoritative and it brought chills to me. I teared up.

'Who is this?' I said weakly and I regretted it. The man laughed.

'You don't know me. Don't tell anyone about this conversation and I will be in touch with you soon – but for now. Cut ties with Prince Theodore.' The man hung up. I sat there for a while wondering what had happened.

Someone – probably related to Damien O'Scotte – had got my new phone number, only known to about four people, and had threatened me… and the man on the whole also knew about Theo. What do I do?

Numbly, I turned around and walked back into the living room. Theo looked at me, hearing the sound of the door closing from the kitchen to the hallway next to the living room but his face dropped.

'Ellie, what's happened?' Theo said, standing up and coming over to me, hugging me tightly as I stood there in shock. Luke immediately looked at me and frowned. 'What's happened?' Theo asked again and I saw Luke wake up Grace before he got up too.

'She's in shock, Theo.' Luke said, coming up to me as well. I looked at him – his words made sense but it also seemed like he was talking through a block of jelly – his words were bouncy but not making much sense. The boys lead me into the kitchen, sitting me down at the table. Grace appeared.

'Can you tell us what has happened, sweetheart?' Grace said softly. I couldn't. My brain wouldn't work. Instead, I just passed her my phone. She frowned, looking at the phone before quickly darting into her office. She came back a few moments later, whilst the boys had given me a glass of water and a blanket that was thrown over my shoulders and plugged the phone into her laptop. It was about three minutes later of rapid typing that Grace managed to play the recording of the message on my phone. I had let her record all my phone calls when she gave me this phone – I remembered signing the agreement letter wondering if that had ever come in useful.

The recording played out loud and everyone in the room visibly shrank. Theo put his arm around me, holding me tight as Grace just stared at the table for a moment wondering what to do.

'We'll work something out, Ellie.' Theo told me.

'I shall be back in due course,' Grace said before she left the room with her laptop to no doubt do some super-secret and no doubt super-shady work too on the phone call but I just remained hollow. I didn't know what to do, what to say, what to think. Who even was that? I started to shake. Damien and his merry men were on remand in prison, none of them had got bail. No one had my number. I heard Luke mumble something and Theo nodded, and Luke exited down the hallway to where Grace went whilst Theo lifted me up in the bridal lift again, taking me past the lounge, up the stairs, down a lovely wide hallway and into a spare room. He moved the duvet with his mind and laid me in bed, covering me with the thick winter duvet before he sat on the side.

'Theo, they want to break us up.' I started to cry and Theo rubbed my side.

'That's not going to happen, Ellie, I promise you now I will not break up with you. I will marry you tomorrow if that is what it takes. I promise you – I will not break up with you.' He told me.

'But…'

'No buts.' He said firmly. 'I love you. We are not breaking up because of an anonymous phone call. We might have to hatch a plan, depends on what Grace finds, but I am not breaking up with you and I am not leaving you either. Have I made myself clear?' Theo told me with authority and I nodded. He kissed my forehead. 'Lovely. I did kind of worry I would have to marry you tomorrow. You deserve the best wedding possible – not a wedding in Vegas.'

'I wouldn't mind.' I whispered, and he smiled at me.

'Trust me, when the time comes, you'll have the best wedding you deserve.' He told me.

'I don't care about big fancy weddings with thousands of people watching. I'd care about marrying the man I love.' I said, sitting up in bed. Theo climbed into bed with me and smiled and nodded, pulling me in tight.

'Oh, I one hundred percent agree with you. I'd care about marrying you, the perfect women I have ever laid eyes on.' He kissed me gently. 'I love you, Ellie, and I promise you now, we can get through this.'

I was hesitant about that but moved on with the conversation before Theo doubted my silence. 'I think Joel finally properly accepted you and said he likes you.' I said and Theo smiled.

'Really?'

'Yeah, and then said he'll give me the contraceptive talk tomorrow.' I said and Theo laughed.

'Let that slip then, did you?'

'No… the silence as I went beetroot and was too embarrassed to speak told him.' I said.

'You're so cute.' He mocked, holding me tight. 'You're still blushing,' He laughed.

'Sorry for ruining Christmas.' I mumbled and he shook his head.

'You haven't ruined Christmas. Shit happens.' Theo said. 'And Grace will get down to the bottom of it before long.'

'But she's pregnant and I've ruined her Christmas.'

'I honestly think she is secretly thanking you. Lila will be intolerable again once she's awake from her nap. At least this way, Luke will have to deal with it and not Grace.' Theo said, lying down. I lied down with him and rolled over into his chest. 'I have no idea who called you, and what they meant, and what they want, but I won't let you go, Ellie. I'm not letting this go. We're in this together.'

'Theo, you're the only thing I have now left to lose.' I told him honestly. 'I can't lose you, I can't cut you off.'

'Exactly. With whoever it is throwing threats at me, the only bargaining chip they have – something to motivate you to do this – is gone. They can't threaten you to break up with me and then threaten you with me again.' Theo said and I frowned – was he aware he was making no sense.

'You've watched too many crime shows on Netflix.' I said and he laughed at me.

'I am too busy to be watching Netflix, Ellie, if you haven't noticed I am a Prince.' He mocked.

'Theo, I have seen your watched list on Netflix. You are a _wful a_ t finishing programmes.' I told him and he laughed.

Silence fell on us quick as both of us were in a half-asleep state for a good hour or so before we heard Lila run down the corridor and Theo chuckled under his breath.

'She's adorable.' I said and Theo laughed.

'I love her so much. I can't believe how much she's grown up. It honestly seems like yesterday when I saw her in the Palace after she was born. She was _tiny_ , Grace carried her in and she fit completely in her arm and she was just so perfect.' Theo said and I smiled. 'I had literally no idea what to do with her when she was born, though, I held her and I just sat there completely numb and Luke took the piss out of me for not knowing what to do with a newborn baby.' Theo told me. 'And it will all be repeated in August, but this time you will be there too.' Theo told me softly.

I blushed. Theo sounded like he wanted kids so much – it was crystal clear how much he loved his niece and how much his niece loved him too. I heard someone run up the stairs to Lila – it sounded like Luke. And someone followed him up.

We both sat up on the bed as Grace knocked on the door. She poked her head around the door.

'Sorry, Ellie – can I have a moment with you?' She asked.

'I'll come with.' Theo said.

'Nope. You stay here. Better for your sake if you don't hear what I was about to say.' My heart started pounding as I got up. I looked over at Theo who looked hesitant before I followed Grace. We got to the top of the stairs. 'It really isn't that bad, but Theo will ask too many questions.'

'Did you find out who it was?' I asked her.

'Let's go to the office to talk.' Grace said, running down the stairs, through the kitchen, down a long hallway and into a room, she nodded to a chair that was in the middle of the room as she opened up her laptop.

'I tracked the phone. It was a burner sim used in Aberdeen.' She showed me the map of a town.

'Aberdeen?' I asked and she shrugged.

'Yup. The sim card was brought in a convenience store in a tiny village about four miles out of Aberdeen on bank card – so whoever done the phone call clearly is either new at this whole intimidation thing or framing someone else. So I requested the bank detail of the card whoever it was paid. It came back linked to a student account. I ran the name through all databases and it came back clear. She wasn't even flagged for anything.'

'Who is it?'

'York Padello.' I frowned at the surname and Grace nodded. 'Yeah, she's Anastasia's older sister.' Grace told me gently and I frowned. 'Went to university in America, graduated, couldn't get a job and now lives in Scotland with her father. I then went to track Anastasia's movement too to see if she was involved and as far as I can work out, she is in Scotland with her family over the holidays. I've put all of their bank cards on a tracker, the second they buy anything I get immediate notifications. I think it was a completely hollow threat from either Anastasia using her older sister to play games, or it's York standing up for Anastasia. Anastasia probably got your number from Joel's phone – he saved your number as "Daughter number 2" but if Anastasia knew the names of Joel's daughter he would have known the third number was a fake. But I have them under surveillance regardless.' Grace said and I nodded.

'So why would they do this?' I asked and she shook her head and shrugged.

'Revenge. Anastasia wants to be you, she's jealous of you. I don't think she would know what to actually do threat wise. But, just in case of something more serious, keep this in your back pocket at all times – so only wear jeans from now on in until I can get my hands on York and Anastasia.'

She handed me a card for a car break down cover. I turned it over, and again and frowned. 'I don't have a car.' I told Grace and she laughed, taking it from my hand. She put it down on a blank space desk and put some rubber gloves on. She pushed down one of the sides of the card which made a satisfying crunch noise. I frowned at her before she placed the card in the palm before moving one hand up and one hand down.

She then dropped the card down into two pieces and inside was some really small pieces of metal and a copper-looking sticker.

'What the Hell,' I said scooting closer.

'It's a tracking device – as long as you are within a thousand miles we can track you. If not, we will get a rough area where you are. It's waterproof because of the casing, once I put it together I will cover it with the epoxy resin. It sits very snug in jeans pockets and won't fall out and whenever someone looks at it, it just looks like someone in the street gave you a breakdown application card and you kept it for later.' Grace explained, putting the two pieces of the card back together. 'Don't tell Theo, though, just say that we dismissed it as a hoax.'

'Why not telling Theo?' I asked.

'He will go insane, become protective – rightly so – but he will just ask questions and try and find motives and he is so not qualified for that. It's just saving you a hell of a lot of questions. But I agree with Joel – contraceptive.'

'Oh my God.' I got up and walked out the room. 'Thanks, Grace.' I called back.

'Thank me later when I give you the number of the sexual health clinic.' She called back and I shook my head. I forgot – behavioural psychologist. She would have known the second I walked in.

She came back into the room a few minutes later. I had sat down next to Theo who frowned, and I shrugged but he wouldn't ask any more questions, not in front of his Mum. It appears that the boys never wanted to make their mum feel bad at any costs, so they kept her out the loop. Grace came in a few moments later.

'You dropped this, Ellie.' She said handing the card to me. Sure enough, it was sealed again and looked like a breakdown insurance card given out on the street. I smiled as I took it, sliding it into the back pocket of my jeans.

The six days between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve went perfectly; Theo went along to family events and I joined him in all kinds of fancy dresses as he felt comfortable enough to introduce me to his extended family as his girlfriend. Overall, they seemed pleased to meet me but some seemed extremely jealous. Theo just shook his head as he walked away and told me half of his family was jealous of both Luke and him. He told me to ignore it.

Everything went lovely; every day Theo and I grew a bit more in our relationships, every night we spent together in the same bed hugging each other. Everything seemed to go perfectly.

'New Year's Eve walk?' Theo suggested at around ten in the morning on the last day of the year. I was sitting on the end of the bed in a thin vest top and pyjama shorts as Theo got out of bed in just his boxers. We were due to go to a black-tie event tonight at Buckingham Palace but until we had to start getting ready, we had the day free. Because, apparently, I was now run by the rotas of Royalty. I pointed it out to Theo and he shrugged and apologised, telling me that was how his life was run now and he was trying to work out a way to stop it.

'Walk… where?' I asked.

He thought for a second.

'Winter Wonderland.' I laughed and he frowned. 'What?'

'You're the future King, Theo if you haven't noticed. You just can't stroll into Hyde Park.'

'You've watched "Designated Survivor" with me – it's not true BUT it is very representative at the time. There are two ways out of this building for me and Mum, the Queen and someone who had something to hide from the media. We either leave in police parade and blackout window cars… or we wear baseball caps, fluffy hats, big coats and stuff and we blend into the crowd with a member of security in front of us. So, let me get on my lovely duffle coat and a bobble hat and let's go winter wonderland.' Theo said and I grinned, getting up. He came over to me, his hand running around my waist as he kissed me gently. 'I shall go and make some coffee for us, we can get some food there.'

I smiled gently as I quickly found a thermal base layer to wear under a plain khaki t-shirt and threw them on, before a lightweight hoodie. I then wiggled into a pair of skinny jeans, checking how I looked in the mirror. I grabbed the breakdown card from the side of the chest of drawers and slid it into my pocket like Grace told me too always – even though there were no calls back, Anastasia and York had stayed in Scotland, it all went to the ground much like Grace had said. But she was still hesitant and made me wear the card at all times.

It was barely an hour and a half before a black cab dropped us off at an already bustling Hyde Park. Theo was in an adorable beanie with a scuff around his neck and he kissed me as he got out the taxi. He held my hand and I looked around nervously; there were hundreds of people and no one gave a second look to the Prince, the man first in line to the Throne, the man destined to be King, went completely unnoticed in a crowd.

'Beanies do miracles.' He told me, moving his arm around my shoulders. 'I heard there is a wonderful food cart just up here… they sell perfect soft pretzels like we're on the streets of New York, so you can try the New York food without going across the pond.' He handed in our entry tickets and he guided me down the crowded pathway.

'I can't believe….'

'Can't believe what?' Theo asked gently to me as we stood in the line.

 _That you, Theodore, have just managed to get into Winter Wonderland and no one has noticed any difference. You're just chilling in line waiting for a pretzel and the people behind us know no different._ I telepathically told him and he smiled.

 _The miracles of a beanie hat, Ellie. It's a wonder what they do._ He nudged me before kissing my cheek. _And not just any pretzel – a lovely soft pretzel._ Theo told me.

In his fairness the pretzels were lovely. We spent four, five hours at Winter Wonderland heading on ride after ride, splitting the ride fees, before heading ice skating and heading to the ice bar for a drink too. The security guy, who I only just noticed, wandered around forty feet in front of us, occasionally stopping to take a photo to blend in with the Instagram happy crowd. Theo took my hand and led me down one of the smaller streets in Winter Wonderland, leading to smaller food stands. Theo hesitated before taking a left which led to an employee entrance.

'I think we're lost.' I told Theo and he nodded before he turned left again – finding a back alley with some bins.

'Yup, we're lost.' Theo joked. 'Hey ho, U-Turn time.'

'I don't think so.' Someone said and Theo immediately pulled me to his side. I gently touched my bum, feeling the card and was hoping Grace had added some conversation recorder.

'Who's there?' Theo called authoritatively.

'Theodore Edward Albert Evans, and Ellie Laura Paisley. I see you didn't listen to our friend's wishes. That's a shame. Now we have to punish you.' A man came out of the pathway we had just come out of in a long coat.

'Look, mate, turn around and leave us alone.' Theo said and he guffawed.

'No.' He said simply. 'You both have information we need to keep us safe. Give it over.'

'What information?' I asked shocked.

'Ellie…' Theo mumbled.

'Don't play ignorant, Ellie. You always were an idiot but even you aren't this dumb.' He said.

'Leave her out of this.' Theo protested and the guy frowned at us; he had a long face, dark features, the hood of his coat covering the majority of his face.

'She's the issue. Good night for now.' The man said curtly. I suddenly went lightheaded and blacked out, able to feel my head cracking on the hard concrete floor before the darkness embraced me.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

'Ellie… Ellie sweetheart you need to wake up now. Please, Ellie.' I heard someone say vacantly above my head and I tried to swat away the noise. My head felt awful and heavy and I was freezing. I honestly thought I was dying.

But I remembered what had happened; Theo and I had got lost at Winter Wonderland, we ended up at the back of an eatery and someone had ambushed us in that alleyway and knocked us out. Theo might be in grave danger. He was so much more important that he was and, given all he had done to protect me, it was my duty to protect him. I just about opened my eyes, causing agonising pain to my head. Theo was sitting in front of me, leaning over me with a very nasty looking cut on his forehead. How did he get that? When I fell backwards and hit my head on the concrete, did he fall forward and cut himself?

'Hey.' Theo said softly, helping me sit up as I coughed, and embarrassingly enough I coughed up some water too. 'Get all the water up.' He whispered to me.

I looked around wherever we were and it didn't make sense. The floor seemed to be rocking gently – how concussed was I? The floor was soaking wet and had a layer of dark water on it; the entire room seemed to be made out of dark, damp wood and there seemed to be no entrance or exit. Theo sat with his back against one of the wooden walls, his clothes soaked through; his coat was over me to try and provide some form of warmth, but it was soaked too. It was freezing.

'Where the Hell are we?' I whispered to him, my throat sore from coughing up water.

'I haven't a clue.' He said, and I leant against him and he hugged me. 'I'm sorry I didn't protect you, Ellie.'

I kissed him sharp to make him shut up.

'It is not your fault.' I told him before I got up. I stumble immediately and Theo got up quickly to stabilise me. 'Is the floor rocking or am I really concussed?' I joked and he smiled, holding my arms.

'No, the floors rocking… I don't know how.'

The water, dark room, cold – and the floor was rocking.

'We're on a barge or a boat or some kind.' I said and he met my gaze.

'A boat? But I don't think we're moving.' Theo said to me softly. 'And why would someone put us on a boat?'

'The man who found us in the alley – how much of him do you remember?' I asked Theo as I rubbed my forehead. Everything seemed blurry about the past and my vision wasn't holding up too well now but I had to focus. I looked around; my boat hypothesis seemed to be a likely bet; now I focused I could feel the boat rocking steadily from left to right almost like we were on a river or the ocean, the dampness of the floor would probably indicate we were on the lower levels of the boat and the coldness meant it was night – we had been out for a while then. During the days, the days were warm but the water was bitingly cold and was icy. Our breaths were fogging in front of us; so it was a Winter's night.

'A bit… he said we had information he needed.' Theo met my gaze with his eyebrows furrowed.

'He said I was the issue, didn't he?' I asked and Theo nodded. 'But why? Damien and his men, the other workers, are all in prison. I asked Grace that a few days ago and she assured me that they are on remand and they cannot get bail. As far as I know, Damien had no other contacts. Why do they want me?' I asked him near enough in tears.

'Let's not dwell on that for now. We need to find out where we are and work on a plan to get the hell away from here.' Theo said softly and my eyes lit up. I touched my bum and felt the card in there. I pulled it out and grinned. 'What's that?' Theo asked. 'Ellie, breakdown insurance won't help us now.' Theo touched the card and went to toss it in the water and I tugged it back.

'No!' I said and he frowned at me, gently touching my forehead as I flinched. 'After the phone call on Christmas, Grace gave me this and told me to keep it in my pocket at all times. Inside is a tracking device. As long as we're in a thousand miles of where she is, she will be able to track us down.'

'Providing she knows we're missing.' Theo said.

'Yes, but it's night, it has to be. It's so cold and damp… it has to be the night!' I said and it was crystal clear Theo didn't understand a single word I was on about and I eye-rolled at him. 'We're meant to be at the New Years Eve ball at the Palace. Grace is meant to be there. The second she realised we aren't there she will start asking questions.' I said and Theo grinned.

'Oh, you brilliant women!' Theo said, picking me up and twirling me around.

'But we need to get out of this weird room, get to the surface before we get hypothermia.' I said, knowing there was a real chance that both of us had hypothermia already. Despite the freezing temperatures, neither of us was shaking or really noticing the cold or having any adverse effects.

'There's no stairs or anything.'

'There will be a doorway somewhere, the wood is all rotting away, they didn't build this around us just now, this boat is old.' I said and Theo smiled at me, walking to the walls and running his fingers through the panels trying to find a break in the woodwork.

'I knew there was a perfectly legitimate reason why Grace wants you to work with her.' Theo said and I blushed before I done the same thing as Theo did, running my hands across the rotting damp wood. 'Here.' Theo said a minute or so later and I jogged across the room to him, my sodden trainers splashing in the stagnant water. Sure enough, there was a very thin crack heading in the wood and a notch in the wood. Theo put his hand into the notch – well, three fingers – and pulled it. The wooden panelling made a horrible noise.

'Stand back.' Theo said, and he did the same. The door made the noise again and shifted but he shook his head. 'Okay, remember what I taught you about telekinesis?' He told me gently and I nodded. 'I need your help to open this door.' He came over gently rubbing my shoulder before he kissed my temple. 'What would the wood feel like?'

'Damp, cold, parts of it flaking because of the rot.' I told Theo and he nodded. I felt Theo's hand on my shoulder running down my arm and then resting on my hip – his hand was freezing. I turned around to him. He was standing only a few centimetres away from me. He kissed me gently. 'You're freezing.' I whispered to him and he shrugged.

'We both need to get out of here.' Theo told me gently. 'So imagine opening that door. Close your eyes. I'll be here with you all the way, Ellie, but only you're strong enough to open this door.' He told me. I frowned.

'I'm not.' I mumbled and Theo kissed the crown of my head.

'Close your eyes.' Theo said softly and I shivered. Theo moved to hug me. 'You are strong enough to open the door. I think you know you have it in you. Your telekinesis has improved so much since you've started practising. You moved a boxing bag with Grace in the gym, Ellie. I saw you.' Theo whispered and I frowned – he wasn't there. 'You thought I wasn't there. What did Grace teach you about two-way mirrors?' He asked me. 'She taught you how to check between a mirror and two-way glass, but you never checked all the glass in that room. I was always there when you went there. I know the power you have.'

'I saw you pick up that boxing bag that Grace dropped on the floor. That was 60 odd kilograms, Ellie.' Theo whispered. 'You are strong enough to do this. You're incredible. I know hundreds upon thousands of people and you are the most kick-ass person I've ever met. You've had a completely shit time in life but here you are, kicking ass.' Theo whispered in my head and I had to take a deep breath. 'Focus, Ellie.' He mumbled and I shook my head. 'You're incredible and I love you to pieces. I love you, however, I cannot do most of the things I want to do with you when we're in this tiny ass cold room – not all sexual, dear Lord girl I have corrupted you. No, I was on about going out for dates properly, moving out of the Palace and into a lovely home together. Eventually getting engaged and getting married in a few years. Perhaps have kids but maybe not on the last one, depends.' My heart almost stopped. 'But I cannot do any of that if we are stuck in this room.'

'I can't do it.' I whispered to Theo.

'That was because I was motivating you. Now close your eyes. Focus. You know you can do this. So, feel that notch in the wood. The ridges that are covered in water. The moss growing. And pull it.' I head the noise of the wood cracking as Theo held me tight. 'I know you've always wanted to go to Disneyland. So, you open that door and we're going to Disneyland – alone. Forget Lila she doesn't need to you. Me, you, Disney.' I heard the door crack tremendously and I flinched back into Theo and he caught me. I felt him wipe my cheek and under my nose. 'We'll get a golf cart to drive around the resort – but you can drive. I'll teach you how to drive – not that they apply to golf carts. They have a nice place in Kensington I've been looking at. Three-bedroom apartment. Probably not our end house but it's lovely for now. Very modern. Got enough space that Joel, Sarah. Anya and Elisa can stay over if you want to spend the day in London with them. I've even spotted a lovely engagement ring –'

There was a massive thud on the floor and Theo pulled me back suddenly but we both got covered in water. I opened my eyes and I saw the wooden door laying on the floor. My mouth dropped and Theo looked at me, kissing me sharply before he came up to me and wiped my nose promptly. I noticed there was blood on his hand as he wiped it on his jeans. My hand went up to my nose and it came away covered in blood.

'It's just a nosebleed from the strain.' I looked at Theo and he kissed me again. 'I am so proud of you.'

'Shall we get out of this hell now?' I asked, my head throbbing.

'Good plan.' Theo conceded before he took my hand, gently walking to the now open doorway. The piece of wood on the floor was half a foot thick – no wonder why it was so hard to open it up – but on the other side, there was a lighting fixture and rich polished wood.

'What the fu –' Theo said and I elbowed him in the ribs. The door opened up into a lovely enclosure; it wasn't very big, perhaps stemming six foot in front of us and leading to a wooden staircase with metal rungs up the side. A two-foot corridor stemmed to the left and had around fifty cellophaned wrapped parcels with wires coming out of it. 'Are they?'

'Explosives?' I asked.

'There's no clock. I think it's a dummy set up.' Theo whispered.

'You sure?'

'Nope.' He asked. 'But we need to get out of here because I'd rather jump overboard then be blown up.' He kissed me again before dragging me over to the staircase. 'There's a step about… six up that has wires coming out from it. Don't step on that stairs and try and avoid the metal on the top of every stair.' He jogged up the stairs, skipping the sixth stairs before running up the rest. Theo looked around and gestured for me to come up as well. I followed his footing, skipping over the sixth step and there was no noise; no sounds from downstairs, none from upstairs, the floor continued to rock but there was nothing.

We ended up in some form of living quarters with all the lights turned off but there were some windows. I wandered off to the first window I could find and I nearly passed out when the I looked out the window.

'Oh my God… Theo.' I whispered and he came over to me.

'Yeah?'

'… we're on the Thames.' I mumbled.

Out the porthole, I saw the river in front of me. It was pitch black but I could make out big ben to the left of the view, and thousands upon thousands of people standing and huddling on the other side of the embankment, some with flashlights, some with their mobile phone cameras on torch mode. Theo frowned, looking through the same pothole as I did before he realised something and ran to the other side of the boat.

'London aquarium.' He whispered before heading to the top end of the boat. 'And there is the London Eye.'

'Oh my god.' I whispered, realising where we were. I checked the clock on the wall; 11:57.

'What?'

'We're on the firework barge for the New Years firework display.' I told him and his mouth dropped. 'The fireworks will go off, and it's easy to explore this barge as an accidental rogue firework.'

'We only have three minutes to go.'

'Two.' I said, pointing to the countdown clock on the wall, which must have been linked up to the fireworks. Theo looked at me and nodded to the stairs heading up. I nodded and as he jogged up the stairs I followed – rather than a door there was a flat piece of wood that Theo lifted up and popped his head out the top.

'Fuck, you're right. Fireworks everywhere.' He told me and I came up beside him.

Sure enough, we were on the firework barge; on the top of the barge was hundreds and hundreds of fireworks in neat lines all propped up with lines of detonation to each one. I looked at Theo and he knew what we were thinking; if we didn't get off this boat we were dead. But we were so high about water that even if we jumped into the water we were dead. We were so far from the embankment too that no one was focusing on us, they were focusing on Big Ben. Of course, the other embankment next to us was closed due to the fireworks display so no one was keeping an eye out for people who might have been kidnapped and placed on the barges.

'What do we do?' I whispered to Theo and he shrugged.

'I don't know.' He looked panicked. People in the street started cheering and I knew we were down to the last minute before the new year; meaning we were only a minute away from going to up with this boat in smoke. 'Look, Ellie, in case we don't get off this boat alive –'

'Shh, no we are.' I said.

'How?' Theo asked and I looked around. A very valid point. 'I love you so much.' Theo said and I kissed him.

And then there was torchlight on our faces. I flinched before looking to the embankment outside the London Sealife Aquarium. Four black SUV's came barrelling down the road. The torchlight stopped as the front car rolled into place and Grace got straight out the car wearing black leggings, black top, thick black boots and a thick waterproof jacket.

'You two, off there, now.' She shouted at us. 'You have 38 seconds until that boat goes up in smoke.'

'How?' Theo shouted as the two cars behind them got out a ladder.

Three men extended it and then levered it against the side of the boat before the men knelt on the floor holding it in place. Then came the wooden boards across the ladder. I looked at Theo and he ran up the rest of the stairs, leaning down to pull me on top of the boat. The crowds on the embankment started the chant, counting down from thirty and my heart sunk.

Another car came racing up to Embankment and Grace gestured for the team of men behind her to go up to that car.

'Down. Now. Both of you.' Grace shouted before heading over to the new car; a black Nissan. Three men went to get out the car, one pointing a gun at us but sure enough, somehow, they all collapsed in the car.

 _Four._

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

 _Happy new year!_ People called from across the river.

'Get down now.' I told Theo and he shook his head.

'Not before you.' He shouted and I sighed knowing he wouldn't leave before I did.

'You better follow.' I shouted over the sound of the first several fireworks going off on the London Eye, then along firework with silver colouring went off beside me, scraping up my arm. I could feel it burning. I Jumped down the side of the boat onto the board and very slowly walked over the board. I was barely halfway down when I felt Theo jump down on the board.

Grace held out her hand as I got down the bottom of the board and pulled me into a hug immediately.

'Your arm!' Grace said. 'You are freezing too. Get them both ambulances.' She shouted to the men behind her. Another man came up to me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders as Grace helped Theo down, who hugged her too.

'It's nice to have you back, ma'am.' He said to me and I gave him a small smile. Theo came straight over to me and hugged me tightly, kissing me. The ambulance must have been just around the corner as paramedics suddenly appeared with their loaded bags. Surprise, surprise, Luke was one of the paramedics.

'Fucking Hell Ellie.' Luke said to me when seeing my arm. I looked down and flinched – the cold had taken away the pain but it was nasty. There was blood dripping down my arm and the majority of my left arm was red and inflamed. Theo looked down and his mouth dropped. 'You, with me – we need to get that treated ASAP.' He said, gesturing to a stretcher next to us. It was hard to hear over the fireworks.

'Guys evacuate the area back to the safety line.' Grace called and Luke smiled at me.

'I love when she gives commands.' Luke said.

'I don't want to leave her.' I heard Theo arguing with Grace but she walked away with Theo following her, arguing with her the entire time. I turned around and Luke was already half the way across the embankment heading to the corner near the bridge. I turned around and looked at the firework display that was happening only feet away from us. The music blared from speakers and the buildings next to me were lighting up in sync with the bangs.

The boat then exploded dramatically and everything seemed to go in slow motion. The boat was deemed to explode. I just assumed now I was off the boat I was safe but the explosives still existed on the boat. People on embankment screamed. I ended up being blown down onto the floor and I smashed my head on the floor and blanked out cold.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Happy New Year! Hope you all have a brilliant year!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Luke's POV**

'Back into bed. Now.' I shouted into the hospital room where Grace was _meant_ to be resting on the bed – but of course she wasn't on the bed. I could see that through the window when I came back from talking to the nurses. Out of the four of us that had been admitted to the hospital following the barge explosion, I was the only one to be discharged within twelve hours of the event. Theo and Ellie were still in critical, unstable conditions – unconscious - in another wing of the hospital and Grace had to remain on drips due to severe concussion and/or morning sickness. However, the little shit of my wife had unplugged her intravenous drip and pain medication and had put the machines for statistics on silent since I left her room less than ten minutes ago. I edged into the room, expecting to see Grace on the settee in the room but she wasn't there. I checked around the room, adjusting the sling my arm was in as I did so.

'Grace?' I mumbled. I wandered over to one of the machines, reading the printout of statistics – the machines had been unplugged around five minutes ago. My heart dropped. After what had happened to Grace when she was kidnapped a few years back and the firework barge explosion, I trusted little to no one. My finger was on the panic alarm button when I heard the toilet flush. I turned around to see Grace coming out of the loo and stopped dead.

'You alright?' Grace asked and I hugged her tight with my one free arm. 'Any news on Theo and Ellie? And the other security lads?' She asked and I shrugged.

'Ellie and Theo are stone cold out. Theo has a fractured wrist and a few broken ribs, concussion and brain swelling caused by the explosion but that's going down. They've pulled the sedation on him and he should be coming around soon. Ellie's arm is still awful, she's needed several blood transplants and will probably need cosmetic surgery on it. There's an infection in her bloodstream from the firework burn and she too has concussion and a broken ankle. The spinal injury has been corrected and she has a small metal rod in her spine now, but with physiotherapy they expect her to make a full recovery from that. Both have hypothermia and they're trying to warm them up slowly. Warm them up to quickly they'll go into shock and… yeah. They're messes.' I explained to Grace. 'Security just have cuts and bruises.'

'Shit.' She whispered.

'Are you okay?' I whispered to her, running my hand down her arm. We were both further away from the explosion. When I told Ellie to follow me, I completely underestimated how much hypothermia had set into her and how she wasn't comprehending what I was saying, and she just stood there in a mix of shock and hypothermia. When the barge exploded which such force that people were thrown into the air seventy feet away, Ellie didn't stand a chance of gaining any injuries. She was only twenty feet away. She's lucky to be alive. Thankfully, Theo was more argumentative and followed Grace and put some distance between him and the boat, but he still ended up injured.

Grace came out of all of this with a severe concussion and a tonne of bruises and several bruised bones. I got away with burns and the need to keep my arm elevated for a few days for the swelling to go down.

'Yeah, just throwing up. Again.' Grace said, shaking her head.

'Concussion or morning sickness?' I joked, gesturing for her to get back into bed. She hopped up on the bed as I reattached her. 'Turn this off again and I'm divorcing you.' I held up the saline drip. She had been throwing up a Hell of a lot from a combination of severe morning sickness and concussion rolled into one.

She grinned. 'Bit of both?' She said and went silent for a while, looking at the end of the bed. But I knew what she was thinking.

'You couldn't have prevented this, Grace.' I whispered to her.

'Your brother and his girlfriend are both in critical condition.' She mumbled, and I nodded. It hurt like someone stabbed me every time she said that. 'If I noticed they were gone earlier, even if it was five minutes earlier.'

'Without you, Grace, they would have still been on that barge when it exploded.' I whispered, my throat nearly closing up. Grace looked at me. 'If you didn't have the foresight to place that card in Ellie's pocket always, we would have had no idea where she was until the last minute. The memo would have come in too late about the explosives. We wouldn't have got there in time.' I told her softly and she nodded before closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. I put my hand on her back.

'I should have noticed they weren't at the ball earlier. I should have thought to check their room.' She mumbled. I sighed, getting up and taking my sling off. I hauled Grace off the bed, flinching at the pain before I sat on her bed with my legs up, Grace on my lap, her head buried in my shoulder. 'They could have both died.' She whispered.

'I know they could have, Grace, but they didn't. And they didn't because you got there in time to get them off that barge. They won't blame you for this when they wake up. They'll thank you for getting them off safe – and yes, you did get them off there safe.' I corrected her before she even had a chance to say that they weren't safe.

'I can't even find out who did it. They've taken me off the case.' Grace sniffed.

'Good.' I said and Grace looked up at me and frowned. 'You need to focus on keeping your strength up. You're not allowed to leave the hospital until you're rehydrated, and we've had an ultrasound to show nugget number two is okay after all this.' I mumbled, and she hit her head on my shoulder. 'Should not have mentioned nugget number two.' I whispered. 'You haven't hurt nugget either, Grace.'

I knew there was every chance that something would have happened to our baby in this process; Grace had only just turned into the seventh week of her pregnancy and anything at this stage can cause heart failure for the baby or even a miscarriage. People can fall over, and the impact is enough to cause a miscarriage – let alone what being thrown to the solid concrete floor after a large explosion can do. As much as it killed me to think it, there was a high chance something had happened to our baby, but Grace was taking it very personally. The nurses had booked us in for an ultrasound to try and find a heartbeat to tell if the baby was healthy. But the on-duty midwife wasn't free to see Grace for another hour or two and until then, I had to go against my gut and convince Grace our baby would be fine, Theo will be fine and Ellie will also be fine. But, realistically, the odds were not in our favour when relating to all three of them being completely safe and able to walk out of this alive.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

 **Ellie's POV**

 **Three days later**

I didn't know where I was, and I didn't really know how I got here (wherever here is) and who I was. Everything seemed awfully fuzzy and I was unable to put the pieces back together. I think I am in pain – but then really what is pain? I was too cold to tell the difference. I knew there was several blankets over the top of me – I could feel the heaviness over my body.

I slowly opened my eyes, my head banging even before I saw the lights above my bed. Machines started to blink and make some odd noises and I frowned, trying to lift my arm to rub my forehead – but my arm barely moved. I frowned.

'Hello, Ellie.' I heard someone say and I turned around. A nurse in the blue uniform was by my side, checking my statistics. 'Try not to move your arm or your back.' The nurse said sweetly to me and I nodded.

'Theo?' I mumbled, and she looked at me.

'Prince Theodore?' She asked, and I nodded.

'How is he?' I asked.

'He's doing fine, Ellie. He's up and moving around and he has not stopped asking about you. But, you need to focus on yourself now. Try not to move for me, darling.' She said to me and I nodded – but even nodding hurt my upper back and I winced in pain. I looked over at the nurse and she looked at me. 'That's why I said don't move.'

'Why does my back hurt?' I asked the nurse and she sighed and sat down next to me on a white padded chair next to me – this was a fancy ass hospital.

'How much do you remember? How do you think you got here?' The nurse asked me, and I frowned.

'I was on a boat.' I said. I could remember Theo's arms around me as he convinced me to open the door with my mind. The floor was rocking. I was cold, freezing. 'There were the fireworks – the firework barge for New Year's Eve. We got off the boat… and then the boat exploded.' I said and the nurse nodded.

'You were thrown to the floor.' The nurse filled in the blanks. 'You broke your ankle and that's in a cast, you dislodged an area of your spine and have had spinal fusion to replace that. Your left arm is in a bad condition though. The burn is deep, and you got an infection so you need to take antibiotics religiously and you probably need to get cosmetic surgery on the arm too. And you're concussed.' The nurse filled me in.

'Right.' I whispered. 'Can I see Theo?' I asked, and the nurse smiled and nodded.

'As long as you tell him to stop bugging me about you now.'

'I'll try.' I whispered.

'Give me a second, Ellie. Remember try not to move your back for a while and do not lift your left arm. You are on strong pain medicine, but it will not cover the pain that will be caused by your arm if you start waving it around.' I nodded again. 'I'll be back to check up on you in around three hours. Press the red button if you need anything.' She moved the red button and placed it down next to my right hand. 'I'll be here in seconds if you push it. If you need a drink, press it. If you need anything, press it. I am your medical slave until you leave this place.' She said. 'I'll send His Highness in for you… but just so I know, are you two together?' She whispered to me and I shrugged.

'I'll grab him for you, then.' The nurse smiled before she left the room. I took a deep breath but even that hurt. How much damage did the barge cause? I tried to remember what happened but it seemed fuzzy at best. All I can remember was standing next to the barge, Theo and Grace heading the opposite direction to Luke – who I was meant to follow but didn't. Perhaps that's why I was in a hospital. But so was Theo. Was Theo okay?

I heard the door opened but couldn't lift my head up to see who it was. Then I heard a wheelchair on the floor and saw Theo appear beside me. His wrist was in a cast and he was sat quite happily in the wheelchair. The cut was still on his forehead, but it seemed to have started healed rather quickly but was still red and puffy – but had scabbed over. There were smaller cuts that were now light pink. But he looked shocking, like he hadn't slept in days, that he hadn't showered in that long too. How hold had I been out in surgery? He grinned at me before he gently touched my hand.

'Hey.' He told me gently.

'What the Hell happened to you?' I whispered, and he grinned at me. 'You look like shit.'

'That's mean.' He said softly. 'How are you feeling?' He asked me very, very gently.

'Okay, in pain but… okay. How are you, though – why are you in a wheelchair.'

'Ah, broken ribs and brain swelling. I'm still in the hospital's care. They won't discharge me for a while. They won't let me go for another week or so, so I must be in this stupid porter's chair to get around. Which is perfect because you won't be out of this place for over a week too.' I frowned, and Theo stood up and gently kissed my forehead, but I noticed he winced.

'Sit down.' I whispered to him and he did what I said immediately and looked at me.

'I'm sorry. I should have protected you.' Theo mumbled, and I shook my head.

'You couldn't have known this was going to happen. What could have been done to prevent this? You didn't know it was coming. Shit happens. We're both alive and out of this. Don't be sorry.' I whispered and he smiled.

'I'm a gentleman.' Theo went to start.

'You can see emotions, you can't see the future. Don't blame yourself.' I told him and he gently ran his hand over my forehead and playing with my hair.

'You've woken up feisty. I'll stop mentioning it but I still feel bad – we can argue about this when we're out of the hospital.' Theo joked, and I smiled. 'I love you, Ellie.'

'I love you too.' I laughed gently before flinching – my back killed me, and it was brutal. 'Stop moving, sweetheart. They have to change your morphine dosages now you're awake and it hasn't been set in yet.' Theo mumbled as he rushed my forehead again.

'How long until I'm good to go back to work?' I asked Theo and he pulled a face. I frowned.

'About that. Speculation has started about me and you in the papers.' Theo whispered. 'Don't get me wrong, the Palace is not allowing anything to run but we don't know how much longer we can keep it off the hooks. We can keep it off until the trial runs, we have motions currently going in order so they cannot reveal who you are until after Damien's trail out of a conflict of interest, but that trial is only twenty days away now but after that… we have nothing.' Theo mumbled.

'After that's out I can't work at Drill anymore.'

'Yeah. I'm afraid so. Joel seems to say the same thing as me. But you'll be able to do public events with me.' Theo said and I nodded but I was very uneasy about being in the spotlight. As someone who wrote only nice stories about the Royals, I knew full well how many shit stories they get as well. I refused to be so nasty to people I never met but others will have little to no qualms about doing the same. They would tear me shreds. I looked over at Theo and he knew what he was thinking but he couldn't really argue with my thoughts; he knew it was true. I decided to change the topic.

'Everyone else at the barge, are they alright?'

'A few security services got cuts and bruises. Grace and Luke were in the hospital for a short while, but everything is all good and they have since been cleared. It's just us two that's left.' Theo said and I nodded.

'Grace was in the hospital for two days, Luke for a few hours. Luke only got a few burns on his arm, so he had to stay in the hospital until they were treated. Grace was in for concussion and severe morning sickness and had to remain until she was properly hydrated again. They went home yesterday morning. They're all good, gonna make a full recovery.' Theo explained to me gently.

'And you? Are you gonna make a full recovery too? What about the baby?' I asked and Theo smiled softly.

'I'll be fine, they're discharging me soon. And you? You'll be discharged in a day or two and on bed rest for six weeks. I'm looking forward to waiting on you hand and foot. You need some time to relax.'

'That goes over the court date.' I mumbled and Theo nodded.

'They're getting you special consideration so you can testify in a wheelchair by video link.'

'No. I'm not doing video link. I'm testifying face to face. I'm gonna see his stupid face one last time, but this time I am in power.' I told Theo and he smiled. 'I will see his stupid face as he goes down for life.'

'That's my girl.' Theo said softly to me as he played with my hair. 'What as the other question?'

'Grace's baby. Was the baby okay too?' I don't think I could live with myself if something had happened to her unborn child and the reason something happened was down to me.

'All good. They found a healthy heartbeat. All will be fine. For both of them.' Theo said watching my face… both of them?

'Both of them?' I asked.

'Twins. Non-identical twins – or so they think. They did an early scan to make sure everything was okay, and even though they cannot be sure if the twins are identical or not, they appear to believe she's pregnant with non-identical twins.' Theo grinned as he shook his head. 'Both of them are completely fine and seem perfectly happy and are developing fine.'

'Oh, I bet she's annoyed by that.' I laughed and winced.

'Careful.' He whispered. 'I dunno, she was so shocked when I went to see her after the scan that she didn't really know what to think. Neither her nor Luke really expected this to happen especially after the doctors said she could have reduced fertility from the surgery and complications after Lila's birth.' Theo told me, and he smiled. 'I cannot wait.'

'You'd be a good father.' I told him honestly and he looked up at me.

'You think?' He whispered, and I nodded.

'Oh God yeah.' I added and he smiled at me softly. 'Seeing you with Lila makes it clear enough. You completely dote on her. It's lovely to watch. You'd be the exact same if not better with your own children. Of course, you'd be a good father.' I told him, and he just continued to smile at me before he leaned forward and kissed me gently.

'You are getting really good at dealing with Lila too – I reckon, given the time, you too would be a fantastic parent.' Theo told me gently and I frowned. I was getting better knowing what to do with the hyperactive toddler and how to sit down and play games with her, and talk to her and so on. I also knew how to settle her down which was something only a very few select people had mastered so I guess I was getting better. 'We'll just have to wait a while to see, hmm?' Theo said and I frowned.

'Was that a confession?' I asked, wondering if he knew something I didn't. He shook his head.

'No, not a confession. Just a hope.' Theo told me gently.

Theo stayed for as long as he could in my room before the nurses forced him to go back to his room to see if he could be discharged yet or not. In the meantime, physiotherapist, occupational therapists, doctors, surgeons, nurses and god knows who else all came into my room and started doing tests and exercises with me to try and get me ready to be discharged myself. I was getting better quickly; mainly because I pushed myself as far as I could before pain limited me because I hated hospitals. When the nurses taught me how to sit up using my elbow to hoist myself up with the new metal in my back (meaning slouching was near enough impossible), I practised when no one else was around so I mastered the move. They then taught me how to walk properly on crutches from the broken ankle, how to stretch out the damaged muscles in my arm from the burns, how to hobble up the stairs properly, everything.

Theo was discharged a day in and decided to spend the time with me and helped me get up to pee or walk around the room, supporting me even though he himself was trying to heal too. A week after I woke up, ten days since the New Year's Day (technically New Years Day) explosion of the barge, I too was given the all clear to be discharged with strict instructions to not move my ankle and put any weight on the cast, to rest my back until the surgical incisions were healed (which meant not wearing a bra for at least another three weeks) and take it very slow with the burn. I had three bags full of tablets to take and Luke had come in to be taught how to dress the burns for me properly, so a nurse didn't have to come and fix my arm every day.

So it was a pretty simple life for us for a while; we lounged around the Palace for days at a time. Caroline ordered people to cook for us and serve us so we could heal properly despite Theo's protests – but Theo was a lovely gentleman and always thanked those who came around and invite them to have dinner with us, and invite their families and so on as a thank you. We both had to go through extensive physiotherapy. Theo to fix his wrist correctly and to avoid surgery and how to fix his ribs properly too allowing him to carry out his Royal duties again. I had physiotherapy to fix my back – the surgery, whilst completely effective and was healing properly, the surgery to correct the spinal injury involved slicing the muscles in my back which had to have time to heal properly. My arm had started to heal and scab up and has started to properly heal too; in a thick long scar on my arm. Luke religiously came over every morning and evening to change the dressing and to make sure I was taking my medicine (as I kept forgetting).

It got to the day of the court case. The two nights previously I had barely slept. Theo knew and stayed up with me, gently whispering to me as he held me tight to his chest. But he fell asleep sometimes, only for an hour or so, but I was still awake overthinking, over panicking.

'You look beautiful.' Theo said, coming up behind me. He gently put his hand around my waist and I flinched slightly. I closed my eyes. 'You're… not okay, are you?' He whispered to me gently before I turned around and buried my face in his chest. 'Oh, sweetheart.'

'I can't see him again. But I have too…'

'You don't have to do anything, poppet.' Theo mumbled to me. 'We can get you on a video link. You'll be hundreds of rooms away from him. Hell, you can stay miles and mile away. You can be right here if you want to be.'

'I have to put this to rest, Theo. I have too. I owe it to everyone else.'

'You owe it to no one. This is not your fault.' He told me and I just nervously swallowed. 'No. No this is not your fault. You did nothing for any of this happen to you. You didn't dress a certain way, you didn't act a certain way, you didn't look a certain way and you didn't speak a certain way to cause this. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, paralysed by fear, and he was there. This is all his fault. You… you caused nothing for this.' He whispered to me softly.

'I am broken, Theo. How can I do this.' I whispered.

'You may be broke, Ellie, but you are stronger than you are broken. You may be shit scared, you may think you're collapsing and you're breaking down, but I know differently. You are strong, you're kickass. You're going to walk into there, you'll find me in the gallery, and you're going to kick his ass down to the ground. He'll get dumped in prison where he will rot in Hell and you can be up here by my side forever more.' Theo said.

'You…. You think I can do this – wait, you're coming with me?' I asked. Security services had barred him from going – it was too bad for the public image for him. I looked up at his face and he nodded. I launched myself at him and he laughed gently.

'You thought I'd let you go alone? Why did you think I was in a suit?' Theo asked me; it's true. He was in a lovely grey suit, a white pocket squared and collared button-up with a grey tie and a vest. He looked a lot fancier than he did normally – he could probably pass as a fancy lawyer. I just didn't question the extra do up.

'How? How on Earth did you manage that?' I asked suddenly feeling I could do this. I bent down and picked up my heels and slid them on, but my hands betrayed me. I was shaking too much to do up the elegant buckle on the side. Theo noticed and immediately came over, bending down and doing my shoes up for me.

'I argued with them.' He whispered as he done my shoes up. 'I told them there was no way I would let my girlfriend, the person I love the most, go through a court case of this nature _alone._ They continued to argue but I told them where to shove it, I'll go whether they approve or not. Strange – they then pulled their finger out their arse and told me I could go.' He kissed my forehead before he sat on the edge of the bed with me. 'So I'll be there.'

I smiled before turning around and hugging him, the force knocking him to the bed. Theo laughed at me as he kissed my forehead as he held me tight.

'You're in a dress.' He laughed, tapping my bum.

'Thank you, Theo.' I whispered to me and he gently stroked my back.

'Anything for you.'

The court case had already started seventeen days ago, with the lawyers presenting their opening arguments to the jurors, reading statements of those who did not want to testify before they started calling the whistleblowers to the stands. Press was not allowed to take photos during the statements but could be present. Three of the whistle-blowers had been interrogated before me, most of their question lasting a good day or two, before I was called to the stand – the last one. They pushed me back from first to allow time to heal.

'Judge, we would like to call to the stand Ellie Paisley, a former member of Baile leanaí Crann darach.' I heard the juror called. Nervously, I followed the gentleman who I was assigned to before he opened the door, gesturing me to head up onto the stand.

'We would like to exclude this witness, your Honour.' The juror from the other side protested before I even stood on the stand. I looked at the man who gestured to the stand and he nodded, asking me to continue up.

'On what grounds?' The Judge asked.

'Our client was under the presumption she had died in a fire.'

'That does not affect her ability to recall from years previous about the alleged abuse.' The judge said and I looked over at her; the judge was a middle-aged woman who looked at me and smiled at me slightly. I then looked over the viewing box to find Theo. Sure enough, he was right at the front in the corner – next to Luke, Grace, Caroline and Joel. Joel had a laptop on his lap, alongside Grace, and I knew they had them to pretend to write about the case almost, so others didn't know they were there. No one, media-wise, could pick up. Joel was on the end of the bench so if anyone looked in, they would know it was Drill reporting on the case rather than being here for me. And no one would doubt the people down the line. I smiled, and Theo smiled back before he nodded slowly.

The questioning was brutal, but I kept it together (somehow) – probably because the second I was close to breaking I looked up at Theo who gestured for me to breathe, or gently nodded, or smiled – even when I was recounting some of the worst experiences of my life. He didn't judge. He just sat there, not showing any expressions on his face, but reminding me to remain calm. I saw the look he gave Damien, though, who stood in the box all cocky. The look that confirmed what I thought; if he was ever left alone with Theo, Theo would snap his neck in a second.

The judge called the case to be left overnight and for me to come back the next day. Theo met me out the back on the delivery day in his big black car. But he was standing outside. I thanked the porter who showed me out the building before I walked over to the car. Theo came straight over to me, holding out his arms as he hugged me tightly.

'You did incredible, beautiful.' He whispered to me.

'Nothing yet has been done.' I mumbled. 'He might be let free.'

'Not after today, he won't.' Theo said, opening the door to the passenger side of the car. 'You kicked his ass.' He said as I closed the door. He got into the driver's side a few seconds later, undoing his jacket as he sat down in the driver's seat.

'I didn't realise Grace, Luke and your Mum was coming too? And Joel?'

'Like Grace would let you go alone – she was coming from the start. Security couldn't block her as she is security herself. Luke tagged along to support you, and Mum wasn't going to let her second daughter go through something like this alone. That's her words - but she just said daughter, but that makes this slightly weird.' Theo said as he looked at me before gentling kissing me. 'We're all on your side, Ellie.' He said as I teared up and he started to drive the car from the Crown Court just outside of London. It was rare they moved a man out of the country where his crimes were committed, but most of the witnesses both for and against now situated in England, as well as the high-security prison he was set to go to, where security services can keep an eye on him too.

'Thank you.'

'Ellie, honestly, it's fine. It's what family does – support each other.' I smiled and blushed and Theo must have seen my reaction as he just grinned at me. 'Try and get some sleep. It'll take a few hours to get back to the Palace and I know you haven't slept well in a while.' I got told and I nodded – and sure enough, it was only a matter of minutes before we were stuck in traffic and I fell asleep, my head resting awkwardly on the car door.

'Ellie, sweetheart, come on. You need to get dressed now.' I jump awoke to find myself in bed, Theo sitting in front of me; it was dark already and I frowned. 'Don't worry, it's just me.' Theo said as I sat up and nodded. 'You were pretty restless – everything okay?'

'Yeah… just… him.' I said and I winced and Theo nodded shyly and smiled, hugging me. 'I just can't wait until the trial is over and at least I know he'll be locked away.'

'Come on, let's get you a bath.' Theo said, gently holding out his hand before he ran a bath for me and then sat on the floor next to me as I sat in the bubble bath. The silence was awful for a while; Theo didn't really know what to say to calm me down, and then I didn't overly want to speak as the only thing that kept spinning through my mind was about the court case. Then Theo started telling me about his times at school.

'So I went to a relatively private school in London. It was an all-boys school and for most kids, they boarded there so they lived in. Everything morning, I'd get dropped off and then when Luke started we would just get a lift together and so on. And I was in geography one day, I was perhaps year ten, or the year below. Anyway, we were sitting in the class and they only had fifteen people per class so it was really small and we were doing about rock formations or something,' He started to explain and I nodded. Theo sat on the edge of the bath washing my hair for me as he continued the story. 'And we just heard this bark? And we were all so confused? Turned out one of the boarding boys had smuggled in their pet sausage dog into their dorm and then into class.'

'What?' I laughed.

'Yeah, we still don't know how but suddenly there was just a sausage dog in the room and this kid, Ryan his name was, was chasing after him.' Theo said, playing with my wet hair. 'The borders always had such a good time, but we were never allowed to board. I suppose it was a blessing and a sin at the same time. I would have loved to have been in on the inside jokes and they all had a closeness to each other that I never had. I was very much an outcast. The whole Prince thing didn't help either. Everyone assumed I was either big headed, above them, or didn't want things as extra as friendship. I did, of course, I did, but of course, it isn't overly easy. You couldn't really have friends over, or they can't really meet your parents in the normal sense. It was hard. I have a few close friends now but… hardly anyone really. That's quite sad, isn't it?'

'I have barely any friends either, Theo.' I told him as Theo ran a brush through my hair before washing out the conditioner. 'At university, I was very much the odd kid, I didn't really have good socialisation skill, everyone kind of ignored me. I was in dorms for three years, never had any good enough friends to move in with after the first year. Like I had friends who messaged me and so on and I did… until recently that is… but I don't have anyone close.'

'You have Joel?' Theo asked.

'He's more of a father figure though. His daughters I'm quite close with.' I told Theo. 'I'd… probably ask him to give me away if we ever get married.'

'You're planning our wedding now?' Theo joked.

'Not really, but it would just seem right after everything that has happened. But I wouldn't be allowed too… would I?'

'Grace had Jack, her brother, walk her down the aisle.' Theo said to me as I stood up and got out the bath. He chucked me a towel as I wrapped it around myself. 'It meant the World to Jack, he was so honoured and even though some people said it wasn't traditional, she had no one else who was like a father to her, so it was approved. The same thing would happen to you and Joel when we get married.'

'When?' I joked as I dried myself off and threw on my pyjamas. Theo leaned against the sink and whilst he was facing me, he maintained eye contact. He just smiled slightly before shaking his head. 'What?' I laughed as he got up and kissed me.

'You have literally no idea how brilliant you are and how much you mean to me.' Theo simply said as he got and grabbed my dressing gown. I dropped towel as Theo wrapped it around me, gently kissing my forehead as he done so. 'Come on, let's go to bed. We must be at the court again for nine. It might all be over tomorrow.' Theo told me softly. 'You were the last witness, then the jurors get sent off to debate if every single one of those men done the acts they did, and then Damien and his men will get locked away forever and you'll be free.' Theo whispered to me.

'Hopefully, that is.' I hadn't even considered my life (if I had one) if they were found not guilty. Theo gently scooped me up and carried me back into our bedroom.

'He will get locked away – but you need to sleep first.' Theo said as he pulled back the duvet back before he rested me in the bed, tucking me in after. I nodded to me as he kissed me gently. 'I promise you, he will be locked away and you will be safe and me and you? We can be together happily and safely.'

Theo told me as he climbed into bed with me, putting his arm around my waist.

'I will keep you safe for all the time we're together. I won't let anyone hurt us again.' I wasn't going to mention that we still had no idea who kidnapped us and threw us and locked us on that barge. They had investigated it heavily, surveyed the CCTV footage and found little to no leads; the found the man who followed us but the CCTV footage was blurry, and once he disappeared into the alley he never came back into it. And I have no idea how we ended up on the barge. The firework barge is loaded and set up several hundred meters up the Thames before being moved in – the CCTV from the docks was wiped. But, we guessed the second we knocked out, we got out in a transport truck used for shipping supplies around, and then thrown into the boat meaning we were in the cold, icy water for at least four hours. No wonder why we had hypothermia and took three days to warm us up.

Theo kissed my temple before I eventually fell asleep in Theo's arms.

The next day we were up at 6 am. I got dressed into a two-piece outfit chosen out by the Royal designers as a favour; a white tight top that rested on my upper shoulders with a thrill across the front and a pencil skirt that fell to my knees with a pair of court shoes. Theo was in another incredible (and probably designer) suit and he stood behind me as I got ready again. I was shaking though, this time, even though I already knew what was coming. I had faced the man who sexually abused me hundreds of times, locked me in a room, deprived me of a formal education, punished myself time in and time out for benign acts. But I had to face him again. See his sneering face as I tell the jury what happened in front of my new family. Theo and Grace knew the vast majority of the stories, but Luke and Caroline had no idea and I could see the horror on their faces. They did try and hide it well, but the stories were horrific. Joel just remained completely emotionless; his version of shock.

I stood out the back of the delivery bay where Theo's car was parked; the gate was open this time around – they must have already imported Damien and the other four workers who abused me and others from remand.

'Miss Paisley,' One of the court attendance came out of the door. 'You're required in five minutes.' I nodded, and I frowned.

'Ellie, you go out there and smash it. I'll be where I was yesterday. When this is over, how about me and you… a five-star meal at a lovely hotel. I'm sure I can get a table reservation. Then after that, we can go home, pack our stuff and I can take you on that holiday that I promised you around two months ago. Nowhere glamorous I'm afraid… but what do you think of a week trip down the beach, have some fish and chips on the beach?'

'You'd do that… for me?' I whispered, and Theo gently kissed me, his hands on my hips.

'Yeah, of course, I would. I would be honoured too.' He whispered. 'Now, my beautiful girl, you go in that room and you kick ass.' Theo said and I nodded. He kissed me gently before he gestured to the door. I smiled and walked away before turning to him and saluting. He winked at me before he headed back out onto the street and into court the proper way.

The lawyers didn't have much to ask me; I was on the stand for less than two hours being questioned, Theo, sitting in front of me with a small smile on my face. The jury was sent away to consider, and I was discharged as a witness. I barely had time to grab lunch before I was informed the jury had reached a unanimous decision about not only Damien O'Scotte but all four of his men too. I edged my way into the packed gallery. I was still numb as I edged my way to the front where Joel sat on the edge. He had his bag on the side, waiting for me to come.

Joel turned around as I headed down the stairs and met me with a smile, putting his bag down on the floor and he budged over, allowing a space between me and Caroline. Caroline looked over at me and smiled and nodded, standing up to hug me. I knew the media has noticed and had started taking photos of me but I tried not to care. Today, they were allowed their cameras for the final verdict.

'You did incredible, Ellie.' Caroline whispered into my ear as she let go of me. Then Luke was there hugging me too. I teared up as Luke bearhugged me.

'You smashed it kiddo, you really did.' Luke said as he let me down when he noticed I was crying. Grace was the next in the line but immediately turned around and swapped place with Theo gesturing for Luke to come down her end of the bench.

Theo hugged me tightly, kissing my forehead as I cried into his chest. I could hear the cameras around taking photos as they realised the entire immediate Royal family in the front row, and I also heard Joel telling them to stop taking photos.

'You did incredibly. You were incredible. You are incredible. I am so, _so_ proud of you, sweetheart.' Theo whispered to me as we sat down on the bench. He kept my arm around my waist the entire time as I leant against him. 'One favour though, sweetheart?'

'Mmm?' I whispered and he pulled tissues out of his pocket.

'Dry your eyes. Sit up straight and when that son of a bitch gets sentenced for life in prison, you sit there and be strong because you put that man in prison where he can no longer hurt you and where he can no longer hurt anyone else apart from himself. Tonight, after dinner, you can cry all you want. But you do not let that bastard have the satisfaction to know he upset you. Not the last time you see him.' Theo mumbled to me and I nodded, taking the tissue and wiping my eyes, sitting straight. I sniffed a bit before I put the tissue in the pocket of my skirt and Theo found my hand on the bench and he looked at me, smiling and nodding.

The judge came back into the room and we stood up as expected. The judge told us to be seated and I did so. I watched as Damien walked into the docks with handcuffs on, two guards by his side. And then his four associates; all of which I knew under fake names. Damien turned around to look at the gallery and saw me. I smiled smugly as he glared at me, and then I saw his face drop when he saw me next to Theo and Luke.

'Damien O'Scotte.' The judge called, and he stood up. 'The crimes you committed to these girls, the girls who were accepted by no one in society, who were poor and had nowhere else to go, who were extremely vulnerable, are disgusting. You are the scum of humanity – and your four men. You subjected the four women who testified against you along-side forty-seven other girls who are unwilling to testify to pure Hell whilst underage, and as their legal guardian.'

'Jury, have you reached a unanimous verdict?' The judged ask as someone of the jury stood up; a guy in t-shirts and jeans. He looked over at me in the dock, noticing Theo too, and then at Damien.

'Yes, your honour.' He said confidently.

'And what did you find of Damien O'Scotte?'

'Guilty on all accounts.' My mouth dropped. He was being locked up. The judge then listed the names of the four other men who cared for me at the home, and the jury found all of them guilty. They were all sentenced to life imprisonment without bail.

'Oh my God.' I said as I leant forward and covered my mouth. Theo leant down to talk to me too.

'You did it.' Theo said before I stood up. Theo frowned and stood up too and I launched myself at him. He laughed as he hugged me tightly. 'You did it, Ellie.' He told me gently as he hugged me.

We walked out the building hand in hand, Theo's jacket over my shoulder, and hundreds of media around the outside with camera's snapping away at us. There were a few rolling news channels focusing on what one of the other whistle-blowers were saying as Theo gently kissed my forehead as we stopped. Andrea, one of the girls who was seventeen whilst I had only just begun my time at the care home, saw me and came over to me and hugged me.

'We did it, Ellie!' She shouted as I hugged her.

'We did it.' I whispered back to her.

'Thank you. Thank you so much, Ellie. If you didn't report it none of this would have happened. Thank you so much.' She told me before looking at Theo who was standing a few feet behind me. 'Is that who I think it is? If so, you have so much explaining to do.' Andrea mumbled.

'We're on TV – not now.' I mumbled to her. 'But yeah, I have explaining to do.'

'I will call you later.' She said as she pulled away. I felt Theo's hand on my back as I stepped back. The cameras were trained on us and I knew there was security circling us heavily. I could see Luke and Grace hovering around a hundred meters away with Caroline, all chatting, surrounded by men in black.

'Thank you again, Ellie.' Andrea whispered. She then curtsied. 'Prince Theodore, a pleasure to meet you.'

'Andrea, it's lovely to meet you too. You did incredible in there.' Theo said to her politely as he shook her hand before he went back to him his arm around my waist.

'Anyway, we need to go now. Well done, Andrea.' I told her with a grin and she nodded at me as Theo kissed my temple.

'Thank you again, Ellie.' She told me as we walked off back to Theo's car and away from all the cameras that no doubt had caught the exchange, Theo hugging me to his side and kissing my forehead. We walked over to where Grace and Luke were and the second Grace saw me she held out her arms. I hugged her tight.

'Grace, none of this would have happened without you. Thank you so much. You did –'

'I didn't do anything. I just called the police. You made all of this happen. Without you testifying, he would have continued. You did this, Ellie.' Grace told me as she let go of me. 'You smashed it, so if I ever hear you saying you're no good, you cannot do it, you cannot do anything, I will remind you of this for as long as we both live.'

'Yeah… I'm jumping in on that one too.' Luke added.

'Sorry Ellie, I'm agreeing with Grace. You do have a profanity to put yourself and if you're part of the family, that's no longer allowed.' Theo said and I looked over at Caroline and she nodded. I smiled and I blushed. 'You are free now. So, are you going to join our family?'

I looked over at Caroline. 'You are part of the family if you promise to never put yourself down again.'

I ran over and hugged Theo as he laughed, holding my waist as my feet left the floor.

'Welcome to the family.' Theo laughed. 'My beautiful kickass girlfriend.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Sure, true to his word, Theo took me to an incredibly fancy five-star restaurant in central London that I had never heard off. We were ushered to the back the second we stepped foot in the place, to a table in the back corner away from everyone else. The waiter never lets a cup of water or wine on the table get empty and would top up the second we even got close to the bottom. And Theo and I just sat there, talking, celebrating me finally, after years upon years of abuse, being free. We headed home that night completely happy and complete in each other company.

However, the next morning, we woke up to a complete media shitstorm. Theo and I were the breaking news on every single rolling news channel, the front page of every paper, and trending on all forms of social media. The photos the journalist had taken during the trial were uploaded – but the main photo that was used was the one of us after the trial had finished when I had hugged Theo and he lifted me up. It was a lovely photo, in all honesty, and I was glad they had used that one and not ones where I would have two chins and looked awful – I was not a photogenic person.

I grabbed my phone and rolled over so the light wouldn't wake Theo up and opened the first article on the Government-funded news platform.

 **"Prince Theodore's suspected girlfriend hammers child sex abuser into life imprisonment"** the main headline read, and I cringed at the headline. As a journalist, the headline made me want to cry, but I guess it would make anyone else want to read the article. I loaded it up.

 _The suspected girlfriend of His Royal Highness Prince Theodore, first in line to the Throne, was seen in court yesterday and the day previous as a victim of child sexual abuse. The couple, who had not been seen before and has never been reported together either, were seen celebrating outside Kent Crown Court after Irish Care Home manager, Damien O'Scotte, 55, and his associates, aged between 31 and 50, were sentenced to life imprisonment for historical child sexual abuse, rape, sexual abuse of a minor under the age of sixteen, battery, purgery, perverting the course of justice and other offences._

 _Ellie Paisley, the same age as Prince Theodore, has lived in care homes in Ireland until the age of eighteen, where she moved to Britain as a legal citizen to carry out her university course in journalism. The care home she spent most of her life at - Baile leanaí Crann darach – was where she was abused, and where the manager Damien O'Scotte oversaw her care. Ellie was known in the industry as a "deprived" child, having no real attachments to provide information and struggled with speech development as a result. Recently, O'Scotte was arrested alongside the other workers within Baile leanaí Crann darach and Paisley acted as a whistle-blower, one of only four willing to testify against O'Scotte._

 _The trial attracted media attention long before the Royal family was known to be affiliated. When Paisley finished her two-day victim statement and questioning from lawyers, she retired back to the gallery – where she was greeted with a hug from the Queen herself. Prince Luke then hugged her too, whispering words of congratulations to her, before Prince Theodore got up and embraced his girlfriend for the first time in front of the media present. The couple sat down in the front row of the gallery, with Paisley crying against the Prince's shoulder for a moment before a few calming words._

 _O'Scotte and his affiliates were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and no plans have been made for a higher court hearing. Girls who attended the Baile leanaí Crann darach home are being offered counselling and support services if they witnessed abuse or were abused themselves, and support groups are urging anyone else who are victims of sexual abuse to come forward and report their crimes – with support, the criminals can and will be locked away._

 _After the hearing, Prince Theo did not allow Ellie Paisley out of his sights and wandered around with her before taking her back to where his family was standing – and it appears they all get on quite well._

 _This comes as quite a shock to many; Theodore has been reported to be seeing a Latino model in early November, and now he seems to be very cosy with Ellie Paisley. Furthermore, Theodore has never introduced any girl to his family before and none of his previous partners was photographed being friendly with Prince Luke or Queen Caroline. Paisley broke these traditions and was seen embracing Her Majesty, Queen Caroline, alongside His Royal Highness Prince Luke and Her Royal Highness, Princess Grace._

 _Nonetheless, Paisley seems to be bringing out only the best in Prince Theodore and is an example to women everywhere. More to come._

I teared up – I was an example to women everywhere? I checked social media to see a massive support group forming against sexual abuse. It felt weird knowing that literally, everyone knew about my past, the abuse, the rape, everything. I had expected people to hate me for it, not completely back my side up.

'You alright?' Theo asked the second he woke up and saw me lying there on my phone.

'We're breaking news, Theo.'

'Ah, should have warned you about that. Yeah… we would be. Sorry. Anything awful that I need to kill someone over?' He asked, and I shook my head.

'No… everyone's being lovely about it?'

'Good. I told you no one would change their opinions of you because of it. They're seeing you as the wonderful, beautiful women I get to call my girlfriend.' He mumbled, and I rolled my eyes. 'I'm being serious, Ellie.'

I went to say something, but my phone started to ring. I picked it up and saw Grace's caller ID and frowned. Theo gestured for me to pick it up and I did.

'Hello?' I whispered.

'Oh good, you're up. How are you feeling?' Grace asked but I knew it wasn't a polite call. She wasn't a type of person to ring.

'I'm okay – what's happened?' I asked and she sighed.

'I miss the days where you couldn't see through me. Um… we have a lead on the New Year's Eve Barge incident… and we have some people claiming to be your birth parents and siblings.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hiya!

I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, it is a bit longer than normal but I kinda wanted to move on and develop the plot a bit more in the next few chapters. Hope you're all still liking this chapter. There hasn't been that many reviews anymore and it's kinda a bit disheartening after I spend hours and hours writing this and no one really reviews it anymore. Please, if you've read this far, leave a review for me! It really does make my day!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Theo held my hand gently as we walked down the corridors of Buckingham Palace to the security room where Grace had told me to meet her. The room was on the bottom floor somewhere but Theo knew where it was thankfully. But it has ruined this morning. Grace had told us not to bother coming down until the write up had been completed two hours after the conversation on the phone. It gave us time to have a shower, get ready, have some food, before we turned on the TV. Sure enough, Theo and I as a couple was running simultaneously with the news about Damien O'Scotte prison term.

Everyone was nice about it, though. I didn't expect that. No one really was horrible about me; some had associated me only with the abuse, but no one mentioned anything horrible. Everyone who reported to me was seemingly nice. They said I had brought out the best in Theo, that our relationship stemmed back far longer than it did, and since then he has been seen to be "at his best". He was doing his duties in a more happier sense, he was seen with his family in a cheerful way – all of them have been attributed to me. I had checked Drill to see a story running about me but it seemed generic. I knew Joel had nothing to do with that story and I knew he would be posting one later that would be a bit more personal, in the true fashion of Joel.

But now, we headed down to the security room to find out about the lead about the barge explosion – and the people claiming to be my birth family. We were silent on the walk, trying not to think about what had been said to me. Someone claimed to be my family and somehow, had enough evidence about this to get the attention of the security of Buckingham Palace.

'Why are Buckingham Palace dealing with this? And not social services or something? Or even the police? Or that missing people's charity?' I asked and Theo hesitated for a second.

'I think it was dealt with by the missing people's charity, someone called up about the case. Said their child was missing and now they saw her on the TV with me. I don't know much, they purposely didn't tell us much.'

'Right.'

'Do you want a family, Ellie?' Theo asked me and I frowned gently.

'I… I don't know.' I mumbled back as we stopped outside a room. I frowned as Theo put his finger on a blue square that went red after a second. The door clicked open and he nodded his head into the room. I pushed the door opened and immediately stopped in the doorway and looked around; the room itself was huge and had ten desks split into two, on both sides. In the middle, a large board table. The walls were painted black and grey. The desks had a single chair and multiple computer screens and I could see the work going on within in each desk cubicle. Grace was sat on the side of the table on two separate laptops, headphones in. She didn't even notice we had come into the room or that the door even opened.

'Prince Theodore, it's lovely to see you again.' A man came over to him from the corner of the room, bowing slightly before he held out a hand to me. 'Miss Paisley?' He said and I nodded, taking his hand shyly. The man was tall, over six foot, with balding grey hair and a large frame in an expensive suit. 'I'm Kieron. I'm in charge of the security at Buckingham Palace, regardless of what agencies they come from. These are all my minions from various agencies and various backgrounds. Only the best of the best work from here. You have my personal guarantee.'

'Enough with the spiel, Keiron.' Theo said jokingly. 'Grace called us about Ellie's case earlier. Told us to come down here.'

'Oh yes.' Keiron said, checking over his shoulder to look at Grace, who was sitting cross-legged on a chair on her laptop, completely oblivious to everything. 'We've given her a cubical four years ago. I think she's sat there twice. Didn't like the lighting.'

'Keiron, we know you have a crush on her. Ellie's case. That's why we're here.' Theo said.

'I don't…' Keiron said and he continued on talking but I watched as another man walked over to Grace, sitting down on the chair beside her and was speaking to her quietly. She nodded to something he said and got out an A4 file and handed it to him. He flicked through the paper as Grace continued to speak to him. The man, also tall and of a decent build with brown hair, nodded at her. The man looked up and he smiled at me. Grace turned around on the chair and smiled at me too.

'Kieron, that's enough.' Grace shouted and the man who was standing in front of us talking to Theo stopped talking. Theo took my hand and tugged me over to the table. Grace smiled at me as the man beside her got up.

'Ellie, it's a pleasure to meet you.' He said, leaning forward with his hand. I shook it. 'I'm Andrew Cartrite, I'm in charge of a branch of MI5 that Grace works at, as well as others. We're working on your case even though Miss Williams isn't meant to be on it.' Andrew said.

'She's married now.' Theo pointed out and Grace nodded, still focusing on the screen.

'Mrs Evans, then.' Andrew corrected himself. 'Do you want to have a seat, Ellie, Your Highness.' He gestured to the other side of the table and I walked over there, Theo following me. We sat down before we looked over at Grace who continued to type. Andrew had the two files in his hands.

'Which one do you want to hear from first? The barge or your alleged family?' Andrew asked us and I looked at Theo.

'It's up to you Ellie.' Theo said softly, pouring me a glass of water. I looked up at Grace but still with the typing.

'Um… my family. I mean, alleged family.' I whispered and Andrew nodded.

'We had a call late last night from Missing People UK. A lady claimed to be your biological birth mother. She knew details about you, about where you were found, that hasn't been released. She mentioned about a birthmark that wouldn't have been shown on TV. It was enough for us to get flagged and investigate them.'

'The women who claimed to be your birth mother is under the name of Riley Hutchinson.'

'Why did she give me up? Did you ask her that?' I snapped back and Grace looked up at me through her eyelashes, and then over at Andrew. Andrew looked back and Grace and nodded at her.

'I did, yeah.' Grace said and Theo started protesting how that wasn't her place to do so. 'Theo, shut up for a second. Don't be so whiny.' Grace raised her voice slightly and Theo shut up the second. 'I asked because I needed to know if it was a proper claim or not and why she wanted to get back in contact.'

'What did she say then?' I asked nervously and Grace just continued to look at me.

'I'll tell you the whole story after.' Grace said. 'There's no point in me telling you if you don't want to even attempt to gain contact with these people. It won't do you any good.'

'This woman claimed after certain events that will be disclosed if you want to re-establish contact she filed a missing person report for you. She's located in Northern Ireland in a very small town of Torr. After they filed the missing person report, they looked for you for five years before they presumed you were dead and stopped looking for you. They still kept the door open, hoping to find you but you never appeared on any public record, no school record, no UCAS application for university, nothing. There was no person reported at missing that matched who you were.' Andrew explained to me and I nodded. I knew Torr was roughly on the North coast of Ireland – hundreds and hundreds of miles away from where I was found. 'She saw you on the news yesterday, knew you were her daughter and called the Missing People's charity. They told Riley they will look into it and contact you if it adds up.'

'Does it add up?' I asked and looked over at Grace. She widened her eyes and nodded whilst looking at her laptop. I frowned and looked back over Andrew.

'Yes. It does.' Andrew told me and I took a deep breath. I checked around the room and noticed that everyone else had left the room. I then frowned back at Andrew. 'You'd be the eighth child in this family. Happily married parents. All the kids are born in pairs – you'd have a twin.'

'There's a lot of twins happening recently.' Grace joked and I smiled before the news sunk in. I'd have seven siblings and two parents. I'd have countless amounts of uncles and aunts and probably cousins. I'd suddenly have a family – but my stomach sunk. They still left me. They dumped me. I shook my head and looked away.

'I need to know why they dumped me before I make any potential decision about this.' I told Grace and she nodded.

'According to her, you were just over a year old when you went missing. You and your twin were outside with some of your older siblings in two separate pushchairs. Your brother went inside the house to get you your drink. When he came outside, a car was speeding down the road and your pram was missing. Your twin sister was still in the garden. Riley reported it to the police, the police checked everywhere for you. You never turned up after that, no sign of you at all. If all of this is true, Ellie, you weren't dumped – you were kidnapped.' Grace explained and my mouth dropped.

'I was found in a cardboard box, though.'

'At the age of two and a half. There's still a fifteen-month gap between Riley's story and how you were dumped but the timeline adds up. Your twin sister… Alice… was born March 11th – nine days after Theo.' Grace said and I nodded at her. 'So that adds up perfectly for the whole Soulfinder thing. She did file a missing person case for the eighth child on the day she says she did. She has the birth certificate for the missing child, born March 11th, and a full medical record. The eight child went for a doctors appointment only two days previous to the kidnapping. Potential asthma.' I had potential asthma when i was a kid and grew out of it before I ended up in the last care home.

'Anyone could have a birth date near mine, but it doesn't mean they're Ellie's family.' Theo argued.

'I was the exact same. This is a recent photo.' Grace said pulling out a photo of three girls at a wedding. I frowned – why was I in the middle of the photo in a purple dress? I don't remember going to a wedding. The girls either side of me looked similar as well; same face structure but different hair colour. I couldn't remember going to a wedding with them.

'When did you go to a wedding?' Theo asked and I looked at him and shook my head.

'That's not Ellie.' Grace said.

'That's not Ellie?' Theo argued.

'Nope, that's the twin sister of the missing girl. That's Alice last year at a family wedding with two of the older sisters; Alex and Charlotte.' Grace explained, gesturing to the two girls. 'This is what we were on about; this is why we flagged this up massively. The girls, Alice and the kidnapped child, are identical to Ellie.'

'What was her name?' I whispered, and Grace looked at me. 'The kidnapped girl.'

'Isabella. Isabella Rose Hutchinson.' Grace said softly and I blinked. 'The best way to deal with this is a DNA test. Check you against Riley and against Alice. We can go from there. You have time to think about it. You cannot decide about this overnight, Ellie. It's a hell of a thing to try and get your head around.'

I nodded and sighed.

'Okay. What about the barge?' I asked. 'Because you went from having nothing to having leads – so they might be dodgy. And for this to happen at the same time as my supposed family calls up out of the blue.'

'You're right Grace, you're damn right.' Andrew said and she nodded.

'Always am.' She looked up. 'I told you, you need to hire Ellie as soon as you can.'

'It comes from a complete review of Winter Wonderland and the streets around and leading to the barge docking port. The van under fake plates, we tracked the fake plates to a petrol station where they changed the plates, and we tracked those plates back to a warehouse in Croyden, where the plates changed again, and we tracked those plates out of London. We believed they picked you up after Croyden, and you were in the back of the van in the petrol station but we can't prove that. Anyway, we tracked the van back to Aberdeen.' Andrew explained, showing us a map of the van's journey. 'They came down three days before the new year.'

'York and Anastasia?' I asked and Grace pulled a face.

'Logic would say yes but the van was a rental, taken out near Aberdeen on the day it started moving down. We have surveillance on York and Anastasia who have been in their house the entire time apart from tending to their horsies and their _salmon en croutes_ and their Audi's that daddy bought them.' Grace too the piss and Andrew looked at her and she sighed. 'We checked their father, all family relatives, and none of them had taken out the van. Someone in the village did but we can't establish any link between York and or Anastasia and the man who took out the van.'

'Who was the man? Any link to us?' Theo asked, holding my hand under the table.

'Not to you, no.' Grace explained and I frowned.

'And to me?' I mumbled and Grace slid across the family tree to me. I frowned.

'So, here's Riley.' She pointed to someone on the tree. I followed the line down and saw the eight siblings, the youngest in blue. 'Here's the Isabella girl that they believe is you. The man who we tracked down is Riley's uncle, so if you were Isabella, it would be your great Uncle. It's an odd age range in the family, there are only five years between Riley and her uncle.' Grace explained. 'Anyway, the uncle's name is Cian Mael Darragh. After Isabella's kidnapping, he was interviewed and the question like the entire family and cleared, but there was a lot of questioning within the family apparently. I've got some interviews with the family coming up next week –'

'Well, you're not conducting them, Grace.' Andrew added to her.

'Fine, you are but I'm writing the questions and I'm watching them too.' Grace retorted back and Andrew nodded. 'So we're gonna ask them a bit more about this and why a van took out in Cian's name abducted both of you and locked you in the New Year's barge.'

'Let me just get this right.' I asked, the names of all these new relatives starting to confuse me. 'So, if this is all correct, I am this Isabella Rose Hutchinson. I have a twin sister called Alice, and then would have six other siblings. My Mum is called Riley Hutchinson. I was kidnapped when I was a toddler, a year old, was it? My brother left me outside to get me a drink, and the next thing he saw was a van speeding down the road. I was reported missing, never to be found again.'

'Yeah.' Andrew said.

'Then this Cian guy, which is the mother's uncle, so Alice's and Isabella's great uncle, paid for the van that kidnapped us.' I said bluntly and Grace nodded.

'Basically, yeah. We have no CCTV of his face so we cannot do any form of identification, but the man who went to the rental place was him and it came from his bank account.'

'Right.' I whispered. 'So what do you recommend?'

'Let us do a blood test, we'll get some blood from them and make them sign a disclosure form so they cannot tell anyone about this, and we don't have a legal obligation to tell them the results either. It'll take a week to run the test, we'll conduct the interviews, and we'll get back to you on the consensus. Even if they are biologically your family, you don't have to do anything about it if you don't want too. If you do the blood test and decide a week down the line you'd rather not know, we'll throw it away.' Grace explained. 'I know it was soon. I was going to tell you in a few days time but you'd be on holiday, and I wanted to tell you before we started to interview people.'

'Holiday?' I asked and Theo sighed.

'I hadn't told her yet.' Theo told Grace and she pulled a face.

'Sorry.' Grace mumbled and Theo shrugged. 'I'll… er… I'll let you go.'

Theo got up pulling down his shirt before he held out a hand for me. Grace went back to typing on her laptop at a rapid rate before she plugged in her headphones again. Andrew got up as well, redoing up the buttons on his blazer of his suit before he walked away. I got up with Theo, whispering a goodbye to Grace before we left the room. The door closed and I stopped.

'Holiday?' I asked Theo and he dropped my hand and looked awkward.

'It's only to Tenerife for six nights. We were going to leave tonight.' Theo mumbled and I frowned. 'I said I'd take you on holiday before you went to see your flat a few months ago but you couldn't travel. Now you can, we've got your passport. I was going to surprise you, pack you a bag and get you in a taxi to the airport.'

'Theo.' I whispered tearing up and I looked up. 'Tenerife?'

'It's warm this time of year and it's not tourist season either. I know someone who knows someone who knows someone – there's a chance they know someone too – they own a nice bit of land on the West of the Island. A two bedroom chalet facing the ocean and a private beach so we don't have to worry about the media. It'll just be me and you on that beach for a few days, relaxing. You have just put away a terrible man in prison. The strength you showed to do that. You are incredible, you smashed it. You deserve a holiday.' Theo explained, running his hand through his blonde hair before he met my eyes looking slightly nervous. I stepped forward and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. Theo deepened the kiss, hugging me tightly. I broke away, knowing we were in the middle of a corridor.

'Thank you, Theo.' I whispered to him and he smiled.

'You… like it?' He asked back.

'You mean, do I like that you booked a secret holiday to the one place I've always wanted to visit? Just us two? Of course, I do, thank you so much, Theo.' I said before he kissed me softly.

'Anything for you, Ellie.' Theo whispered, gently playing with my hair.

We went back to our room where Theo mildly ashamed pulled out two already packed suitcases – when he had the time to do this I had no idea – and placed them on the bed. I asked why he was so ashamed and he told me he hated going being my back, even if it was to book a surprise holiday. Not only had to be booked the holiday to Tenerife – somehow, he had brought me tonnes and tonnes of new clothes; shorts, t-shirts, camisoles vests, bikini sets, a swimsuit, underwear, jeans. Everything needed. Sure enough, they were all in my size.

'Grace?' I asked and Theo shook his head.

'Nope, done this all myself.' Theo said proudly. 'Your new passport.' He presented me the red booklet with a flounce and I frowned. I flipped through the pages and saw no stamp and the information card at the back displaying a new photo and brand new renewal dates. 'It's new. No more stamps showing the times you went to Ireland. Just our trips from now on in. You better go and have a shower, we're leaving in…' He checked his watch. 'Six hours. Well, that's when the plane is due to take off, so we're leaving in around four and a half hours.'

I kissed Theo gently again as my phone vibrated in my pocket before I turned around and headed to the bathroom, too stunned for words. Someone actually went out their way and booked a holiday for me. It hadn't happened before. I had gone away with Joel before with his family but it was a family trip. I never had a relationship before Theo but I assumed this wasn't normal.

'Ellie.' Theo called up the stairs to me.

'Yeah?'

'I'll cook lunch for you.' He said with hesitation. It wasn't what he was going to say to me – but once Joel told him how I never really ate properly, skipped meals happily and could go days without eating, Theo was constantly making me proper meals. I appreciated it – the two people I care most about looking after me.

'Thank you.' I mumbled and he smiled, hesitating, before walking into the kitchen. I went into the bathroom, locking the doors before I checked out my phone. I saw a simple message from Joel;

 _Check out the link to Facebook. And you're welcome in advance._

I immediately opened the Drill page and saw an article with a photo of Theo and I yesterday outside the court, holding hands and smiling. Next to it, the photo of me hugging him in court, my legs off the floor and Theo holding my weight. The Facebook caption read; "I don't know who to congratulate, Prince Theodore or my best friend, Ellie." And I teared up, opening the article.

It read;

 _Warning: This article will be long. Hi, I'm Joel. I'm the managing director in charge of the news section, so every single article that goes through Drill will go through me. I am in charge of hundreds of people who work in the Central London News section, and until four years ago, I was in charge of the graduate programme Drill runs each summer. Apart from working together, Ellie and I are more than just acquainted colleagues._

 _So let's go back; it was February five years ago. I had gone to a university in central London to view people who could potentially be a candidate for the graduate scheme. I had reviewed some work, narrowed it down to six people in a class and wanted to see the candidates in action. And I immediately saw Ellie – she was silent, in the corner of the room on her laptop, headphones in. She didn't try and sell herself to me, she was entirely focused. I knew she was perfect for the scheme, but before I could tell her she had got a position on the team she was off, disappearing into the crowd the second the lecture was dismissed._

 _Prince Theo, take note; Ellie wanders off – badly._

 _Eventually, she joined the programme of 24 others, with me as her personal mentor, and she was shy and timid. We eventually bonded over coffee and commuting to London each day. She told me that she had a really rough start to life, she didn't have a family and she didn't really know what a family was. So I invited her around to my families traditional roast. My daughters, who were eighteen and seventeen, at the time, completely embraced having Ellie there. My wife, Sarah, completely took on a motherly role to Grace. Ever since then, Ellie had become a massive part of our family._

 _We went on holidays with her as a family of five. Ellie helped my girls move into university and settle down there. My extended family sent her birthday cards and expected to see her at the family reunion. Ellie used to stay at my house in her own bedroom every weekend, taking her away from her bedsit in central London. She'd spend the day watching films with my wife, helping to clean the house, living a life that she should have had from the moment she was born._

 _She never told anyone about the abuse, not until recently. In the four years she's worked with me, become part of my family, she mentioned abuse once and that was within the last year. She came back from a week-long trip to Ireland covered in bruises and cuts. I asked her what had happened and she said she was playing around with some of the other kids in the home and was up a tree and fell out. But it was a lie; I struggled to get her willing to climb upstairs at work, let alone climb up a tree. She didn't want to talk about it, so I never mentioned it._

 _She (at some point) ended up getting with someone. I knew she had a boyfriend, she told me but was very hesitant to mention a name or what he does for a living. I knew he was the same age as her, but that was it. I didn't ask again – it was her time to tell me when she felt comfortable – and queue the move on._

 _Anyway, Ellie was around mine a few months ago and came downstairs for breakfast in tears. She finally told us about the abuse. I remember sitting next to her in complete shock and telling her she can go to the police now about historical child sex abuse cases, and I can just remember her laughing hollowly and saying it isn't historical if it was still going on. Whilst I was trying to sort out how to report the crime and keep Ellie safe at the same time, as well as looking into support agencies, I got a call one night. No caller ID. I picked up._

 _And sure enough, it was Prince Theo. He explained to me that Ellie's flat was found on fire, no one had died but they had taken Ellie to Buckingham Palace to treat her for shock but she'll be fine. I then had a massive go at Theo asking him why exactly he has taken Ellie to the Palace and not to me. He then told me they had been together for over a year now and seemed mildly bemused that I had no idea._

 _Seriously, Ellie, you need to tell me these things in the future. Anything that's "big," you tell me. You can imagine how shocked I was – and moderately horrified that you never told me about this either. But I can see why you kept it a secret._

 _Anyway. Prince Theodore – take this as the highest compliment you can. You deserve Ellie. She is the best thing to ever grace this planet and she is one of a kind, a mentor and a leader and even an inspiration to everyone. If you keep her by your side for as long as you both live, you will only continue to grow. Putting it simply; Ellie is the best thing to ever happen to you-you said so yourself a few days ago – do not mess that up. She is more than capable of supporting you through everything you have to do in life, even to the point of leading this country._

 _And to Ellie. I have seen you as my daughter for around four years now. After all, you have been through, you deserve this. I know you're scared of what everyone will think of you following the trial and you're terrified of being scrutinized by everyone, but trust this. You are more kickass than you believe, you are more loved than you think, and you are stronger than you believe you are. You are capable of doing this and anything you have your mind set on. Hell, only yesterday you took down five of the worst serial sex offenders Ireland has ever seen in over a hundred years. If you can do that, you sure as hell can survive a relationship._

 _So, I wish you two the best. I am making it sound like you two have got married already (they haven't). But Theo, you ever hurt my Ellie and I will hunt you down and hurt you – seriously, I know where you live._

 _P.s. How does the family holiday to Italy next year sound, Theo?_

The article was awash with family images of me and Joel's daughters, a few family photos the girls have taken, and at some point, Joel had taken a photo of Theo and me, sitting on the sofa in Theo's place. Theo was in a grey shirt, his cheek resting against my forehead. I was next to him tucked under his arm, leaning against him. A blanket was over us. It was at the end of the article. I sat on the edge of the bath as I welled up.

Deciding I ran downstairs to try and find Theo. Sure enough, Theo came out of the kitchen frowning.

'Everything okay?' He asked urgently and I nodded. 'You're in tears, what's happened?'

I handed him the phone with the article still open. Theo held me to one side as he read the article before I saw him smiling, hugging me a bit tighter. 'Italy sounds fabulous. I'll call him when you're washing and thank him. Why are you crying?' Theo whispered to me.

'It's sweet.' I mumbled and he kissed me gently.

'Go have a shower.' Theo told me and I nodded. 'I told you everything would work out eventually.' Theo told me gently.

I mean – it kind of worked out. We were now in the public eye, everyone knows about our relationship. I potentially had a family laden with siblings and parents and extended family – there was a chance I had a twin sister. However, the man who was found to hire that van was my potential families uncle, who was heavily vetted for a kidnapping of an infant. But somehow, that family, the potential I was an Isabella who was kidnapped when she was no more than an infant, felt correct. It felt familiar. But there were so many questions, none of which I could answer myself. None of which came with easy answers. So I just had to move on and trust the professional – even when my mind was screaming against the proposals.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

We had got on the plane with no real mentions of the Barge leads or my potential family, no mentions of the horrors we were departing from. I was still running as main news, the focus on the relationship has taken a turn and most were scrutinising me. Theo had avoided turning on the TV and had turned my phone of airplane mode but I still noticed – how could I not notice? There was a forum being updated with information at me; where I went to university, the grades I got when I was homeschooled, and they kept mentioning the care home and the case. I was being defined by Him even after he was rotting in prison.

I was upset, I was clearly upset by this. So Theo gently coaxed me on the private plane that he had booked for us, strapped me in as I was deep in thought, and sat next to me. The flight would only take a handful of hours.

'Ellie?' Theo asked me gently as we were up in the air. Someone had given us food but I wasn't entirely sure who. 'What are you thinking? I can tell you're upset.'

'I'm still being defined by Damien and his merry men even though they're in prison.' I sighed. 'It's been twenty-nine hours since he's been sentenced. He would have been processed and locked up, had the psych tests done to him and assigned a number. And I'm still being defined by him. Everyone keeps subtly mention that abuse and the nature of the abuse ' I mumbled and Theo kissed my temple. He didn't argue.

'I can't argue with that. That's the media and I think you know better than me that's how it works.' Theo whispered, and I nodded. 'But, you're not a journalist now. You're a princess in training _so_ what are you going to do about it?'

'Princess in training?' I asked him shocked as I got up from leaning on his shoulder.

'I've told you this, one day – providing you'd agree too – I'd want to marry you, so that would make you a princess in training.' Theo asked me gently, leaning his head against the headrest. 'Why do you look so shocked? You know I would marry you in a heartbeat. You know I love you and I want to spend the rest of our lives together, you know since I found you it's been the best time I have ever lived through. Joel told you that I have changed because of you – for the better. I want to make you proud. So yeah. I know it's a big step to imagine that. Grace has told me time and time again that it's a hell of a jump to make, and now she's technically a princess too. I've never understood what it must be like, I was born with that over my head and I've just adapted and grown into that role. You haven't and that's okay because when we're together it doesn't matter. But, when I marry you – and it's a when not an if – you will have to come to a Princess I'm afraid. And I know you'll be the best Princess ever to grace this country, you have the kindest heart and the bravest mind to actually make a difference to people out there.' Theo explained and I frowned. 'People look up to my family, they watch what we do and it influences people. You now have that power the second people know you are powerful and you are kickass. You were kickass in the office, where you would have just reported this story, but now you're _in_ the story – what do you want to do?'

I thought about it. The latter of what Theo said was true and the first bit flattered me massively to almost the point I didn't want to talk about it, keeping it to myself. Theo knew the effect of his words, so he just smiled at me warmly. But what could I do to not be defined by Damien anymore? I thought about what he had done to me, the years and years of constant abuse. It's hard not to be defined by something like that. However, I couldn't go on like that. I wanted a new start once he was gone. This was the new start. So rather than being defined by it and being isolated by it, I had to make sure others weren't.

'Can I do those… walkaround you guys do?' I asked Theo and he laughed gently.

'Tours? You can indeed. Well, you can do tours with me or we can get you security to do it alone and send media with you until we've been in the eye together.' Theo explained and I nodded. 'What are you thinking?'

'Go to a rape crisis centre?' I mumbled, and Theo frowned. I then closed my eyes. I could feel Theo judging me, he didn't think it was a correct move.

'I haven't a clue where the closest one is, but that sounds brilliant of you.' Theo mumbled and I opened my eyes. 'You… you thought I was judging you?' I nodded.

'It's a natural response to think that now.' I said he kissed me gently.

'I don't judge people based on their past. I do not judge you in any way, shape, or form for what Damien and his men did to you. It doesn't make you any less human. It doesn't make you any different in my eyes. You are still the most beautiful, smart, kick-ass women I have ever met. I love you to pieces in spite of whatever happened in your past. Stop crying, we're meant to be on holiday.' He gently wiped away my tears.

'I know you don't Theo. Thank you.' I whispered back to him and he put his arm around me. The chairs on the private jet were incredible; they had armrests that pushed back into the chair and had more than enough space so I could curl up into Theo comfortably. Theo had more of a sheltered pod with a wall enclosing his chair which he leant across.

'I'll text Mum when we land, and she'll book you into one. Do you want me to come with you?' Theo asked and I thought about it for a second.

'No. I want to be thrown into the deep end.' I said and Theo nodded at me. 'I can do that, right?'

'Of course, you can.' Theo mumbled. 'I am so proud of you.'

We landed in Tenerife four hours after taking off and two hours of driving later led us to the private chalet. The chalet itself was lovely with more than enough room; security had there owned small rooms to the side and would only be with us when we went out in public. The lounge overlooked the beach which was shrouded in darkness. It was past midnight, so we said goodnight to the security who were on the plane with us and went into the main room. I dropped my suitcase on the floor and undid it, finding some pyjama shorts. I stood up as Theo wrapped his arms around me. I turned around in his arms. Theo had a shower around fifteen minutes ago and his hair was half dry now, dark blonde in areas and light blonde in drier areas. His face, strongly structured, always looked so caring and gentle when he was around me. His eyes – a beautiful bright blue colour – seemed a bit darker.

'Hey.' I whispered.

'Hey.' I mumbled back and he played with my hair.

'Luke sent me a print screen of a news article. They love you already – almost as much as I do.' Theo mumbled. 'They've stopped mentioning the case or what happened in Ireland.' He pulled me down to sit on the edge of the bed with him. 'I talked to Mum, she's booking you in to do your own tour, got some security going down with you. She is also incredibly proud of you.'

'Joel also messaged me, there's a lot of support coming from the article he wrote about me.' I said and Theo nodded.

'Like I said, everyone will love you almost as much as I do.' He pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him. He gently kissed my neck. 'Notice how I said almost?' He kissed me again. 'No one can love you as much as I do.' Theo looked at me and I deepened the kiss as he ran his hand through my hair, pulling me closer.

The next morning we had gone down the beach in swimwear among the high twenties temperature. Theo in swimming trunks and myself in the khaki bikini he had brought me which fitted perfectly; here I was believing my boyfriend had no idea about female clothing's but clearly knew my sizes perfectly. We went for a dip in the clear waters before we laid down back on the towels on the sand. About an hour later Theo propped himself up on his elbow, looking over at me before placing his hand on my lower stomach. I squinted against the sun at him.

'You alright?' I asked him and he nodded.

'If you are related to the people who claim to be your family, will you forget me?' He mumbled to me and I looked up at him and frowned.

'No. No, of course not Theo. I mean, if they were my family then great, after time I could get to know my siblings and my parents. But your mum is like my mum, Grace and Luke are my siblings too and close friends and Lila is my niece too. I won't just forget you and move on. I still love you and I want to stay with you, regardless of what happens when we get back to the UK – as long as you do too.'

'I would want nothing more.' Theo mumbled before kissing me.

'How long have you been thinking about that for?' I asked and he sighed.

'Since it came through. I dunno why, but I just thought that if you had a family, someone to make ties with, that you wouldn't want to move in with me and so on.' Theo said gently and I looked at him. He wasn't as collected as the media says he was. He was quite nervous and does overthink everything. I supported myself as I lifted my back up slightly and kissed Theo. He held my back as he deepened the kiss before I broke away.

'I know I won't leave you.' I told Theo. 'I don't even know if I want to have a family because I have all of you guys, and I have Joel. I don't know what I would do if that test came back positive and I was related to all of them. I mean, there is no denying that girl… Alice, was it? She looked identical to me.'

'Why don't you go and see Alice before you know the official results, then?' Theo asked as we laid back down on the sand, legs intertwined but still facing each other. I frowned at him. 'Obviously providing it's safe to do so, why don't we both book a trip to Ireland after this holiday, find out where she lives because I know she lives alone somewhere, and you sit down and talk to her. We can get her to sign a form, so she can't tell anyone about it. Then go from there.'

'Can I do that?'

'Yeah.' Theo said. 'I'll be there if you want me too.'

'Could you?' I asked and he nodded.

'Always. Now. Let's not mention this until the end of the holiday.'

So that's what happened – we never mentioned anything from England whilst we were in Tenerife. We went on boat trips around the island, bars at night in sunglasses and hats and swimming with fishes in crystal clear waters. We enjoyed just being together for once with no stress or pressure at all. Theo held my hand as we walked up and down the streets and markets of the centre of the town, or sat me on the worktop as he cooked or attempted to show off when we had a barbeque on the beach.

On the last day, Theo told me he changed our flights home to land at a private airstrip in Ireland near to where Alice lives. My heart dropped.

'What if she doesn't let us in?'

'We have a private jet, we'll get back on it and head home.' Theo said, 'but she will. You might be her twin sister. She'll want to talk to you. And I'll be next to you every step of the way.'

'Okay.' I said. I knew deep down I wanted to do this but I was scared. I was terrified. What if Alice opened the door and she decided she didn't want to know her sister? What if she realised that she enjoyed being an only child without an identical sibling? What if we weren't even related and it was a massive coincidence.

I took a deep breath. But I did tell myself that this was a new start for me and I wouldn't be the same person I was before the trial. Even if I was scared, I had to remember this Alice girl has to live knowing that her twin sister was kidnapped – not her – and she would probably have survivors guilt which I grew up thinking my parents had dumped me somewhere. It would be harder for her to come to terms with than me in some ways. Theo nodded, kissing me gently before we left the chalet for the last time, vowing to come back here next summer.

We got straight on the private jet, back into the chairs and I fell asleep despite not really being tired. The next thing I know, Theo woke me up as we landed.

'Afternoon.' He whispered to me and I blinked before looking out the window. The sun was shining but we were in secluded fields with one or two aircraft hangers. I could see a big black SUV sitting outside the plane waiting for us. 'You sure you want to do this?' Theo whispered to me and I looked up at him; his blonde hair was tamed now after a week of just having it fluffy and his eyes stuck out even more against his easily picked up tan. I, on the other hand, was about two shades darker and even that was peeling away – I had slathered on the SPF 50 sun cream. I am Irish after all.

'Yeah. I can do this.' I said and Theo nodded.

'Yes, you can.' He said encouragingly, standing up and holding out his hand.

We didn't need to take the bags. The aircraft was for carrying around members of the immediate Royal family and considering neither Luke nor Caroline had any plans to go outside of the country, we had complete jurisdiction over the jet. We got into the SUV and Theo handed the driver an address. I saw the driver – kitted out in a very nice-looking suit – type in the postcode and the SatNav was away. It was only a fifteen-minute drive away.

'Do you think we can just get back on the jet and head back to Tenerife?' Theo asked and I smiled at him.

'Not willing to go back to duties then?' I asked and he shook his head.

'As much as I love doing it and seeing that I've made a difference, especially when it's at children's hospitals or schools where you can see the excitement and almost shock on their faces, it really takes it out of you.' Theo said.

'Realistically, you've never done a full day of proper work in your life.' I told Theo and he grinned.

'I know. God, forgot you used to do office hours.' Theo laughed and I rolled my eyes.

'Mate, more than just office hours. I was easily there from half eight in the morning until seven in the evening each day. It wasn't like I had anything at home waiting for me.' I mocked and he smiled before holding out his arms.

'Now you have me!'

'Yes, now I have you – you giant child.' I laughed falling into his arms before kissing him awkwardly.

'Your Royal Highness, we're here. It's the house on the left.' The driver said, parking in an empty bay outside the house. Perhaps Alice wasn't in? The joking atmosphere left the car as I looked out. The front garden was enclosed in a brown picket fence with a gate, the front garden itself had a blue slate. The house wasn't big, perhaps two bedrooms, and was semi-detached and had a path on the left-hand side of the house itself. Before I even had a chance to panic, Theo was out of the car after a thank you to the driver and had opened up my door, pulling me out.

'You can do this.' Theo whispered to me, kissing my cheek. I nodded. I could do this.

I walked across the public pathway, watching two kids down the street playing with a football, kicking it around on a green area as I opened the latch on the gate. I was then distracted by a sound of a dog from inside Alice's house. I forgot to ask how Theo had got Alice's address but I kept walking. My chest was feeling tight and I felt Theo's hand on my lower back and I knew I was stalling.

I couldn't do this. But the second I went to tell Theo I couldn't do this, he had already pushed the doorbell. I looked at him and Theo frowned at me before he kissed me again softly, checking the area around us. Two security guards now stood by the gate and my heart dropped.

'Milo, stop barking please.' I heard someone with an elegant but strong Irish accent say from inside the house and the dog stopped barking but I could see the black shadow through the frosted glass down the side of the door. And then the door opened.

It was like I was face to face with a mirror. Alice, who turned out to be home, stood in front of me in a pair of leggings and a white cotton top with slippers on. The dog – Milo – immediately ran out and started shaking with excitement as he demanded a fuss from Theo, who bent down to pander the pooch. Theo has always wanted a dog.

'Isabella?' The women in front of me asked and I blinked in surprise. Oh – she wasn't me. She was my supposed twin sister. But we looked identical and this was all the proof I needed. I no longer needed that blood test result or the DNA test from the swatch of my cheek. This was it. Alice looked a dead ringer to me; the same chestnut hair, but hers was cut into a pixie cut. The same eyes, and facial expression.

'Er… maybe.' I replied and she smiled before turning to look at Theo, who was crouched on the floor with the dog, fussing the dog happily. Her eyes widened before she looked back at me.

'I suppose you better come in then. Come on Milo.' She called the dog in who happily jumped over the threshold and stood, waiting for his friend in Theo to join him.

Five minutes later, Theo and I were sat on the settee in Alice's living room waiting for her to make a cup of tea. She had already signed the forms saying she won't tell anyone about this conversation or risk a prosecution and she left her mobile on the table in the dining room so we knew she wasn't texting anyone.

'You're doing brilliantly poppet.' Theo told me softly.

'You're only loving life because of Milo.' I said and he hesitated before nodding.

'He's brilliant.' Theo said and I looked down at the cocker spaniel who was laying across Theo's feet, chewing a toy. 'Can we get a dog?'

'Fine.' I said and he grinned at me. He was being such a child today. Alice had come back into the room and handed me a cup of tea and Theo another mug before sitting down on the sofa that was to the left of me, facing towards our sofa. She just took a sip of her drink before she met my eye and looked away. I looked over to Theo who was sat happily still.

'I love your dog.' Theo said and I shook my head and rolled my eyes mildly. Alice smiled at him softly.

'Thanks, your highness.' She mumbled and I looked at Theo confused for a second before I realised – to her, her potential missing twin sister had turned up to her house alongside the future King of England. No wonder why she was shell-shocked.

'Can I steal him?' Theo asked.

'Theo. Behave yourself.' I warned him and he smiled back at me as he sat back, looking at myself and Alice as we sat in silence.

'It's… Ellie, isn't it?' Alice asked me and I nodded.

'Yeah.' I replied and she nodded in reply. I heard Theo sigh – not annoyed but more like he realised something that startled him moderately. I looked over at him and he just shook his head slightly.

'Seriously, can I please take your dog?' Theo asked Alice again as he leant forward to fuss the sleeping dog.

'Theo.' I said again wondering what had got into him.

'By all means, take him home. He's never normally like this. He's normally constantly barking or running around.' Alice explained to him.

'Surely not, he's a gem.' Theo replied back.

'He's gone through a lot of training that only pays off when he likes someone. He's really taking a shining to you.' Alice explained as she sat back before she looked back at me. 'Ellie – what do you remember from your childhood? Like, I really don't mean to be intrusive but this… I just…' She said and gestured.

'It's weird?' Theo said and Alice nodded.

'So weird.' Alice replied and Theo nudged me. Oh – that's why he was on about the dog then, he was talking about Milo to get Alice to start talking. I smiled softly and him and he bowed his head slightly, knowing I had worked it out.

'I don't remember much, I just remember the constant doctor's appointment and care homes.' I explained, looking down at the cup in my hand. 'I remember nothing about having a family, nothing from when I was under… five, perhaps? I remember being in a hospital asking why Auntie and Uncle had left me there, and the nurses had to explain the first care home gave me back to the hospital after I kept zoning out randomly and I fell down the stairs and broke my shoulder.' I explained, and she nodded. 'I knew I was found abandoned and on Death's door, but I never even thought that there was a chance I was abducted.' I mumbled and I felt Theo's hand on my leg.

'Have you heard anything back from the DNA test?' Alice asked me and I frowned. I remembered just before we left the Palace to head for the airport Luke came into the room and took two vials of blood and a swap of the inside of my cheek to run against Alice's sample and Riley's sample too. I had then gone on to forget about it. I looked at Theo to answer for me.

He shook his head.

'I don't think the results will be ready for a while, and we've only just got back into the country.' Theo explained and Alice took a deep breath.

'Tell me about your childhood.' I asked Alice as I leant back onto the sofa with Theo's arm around me as Alice nodded, leaning back on the sofa before she began to explain her life story to us – and what I potentially missed out on.

We were at Alice's house for seven and a bit hours before we noticed the clock was chiming for midnight. Alice had told me how she grew up, how she passed her schooling with flying colours and went straight into a job about insurance underwriting and went from there. She told me about her ex-boyfriends. She mentioned her siblings, what they do, which of them were married and had kids, which ones were divorced, which ones were single and what they did for a day job. She told family jokes and went into detail about all of her uncles and aunts and grandparents. She told me everything that I could have had if I wasn't snatched as a child.

I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't know that I was related to Alice – that I was her twin. But looking at her, how she behaved, how she told stories, it was like I was watching a recording of myself. I think even Theo saw it as he occasionally had to take a few deep breaths.

I then told Alice about the care homes I had gone too, my time at university and my job and glossed over the relationship with Theo. I wasn't surprised that Theo had got on well with Alice – and he wasn't even being professional like he was trained to be. It was only as we put our shoes on that we heard the front door open. Alice looked up at me as I frowned.

'Alice?' I heard some women call and I frowned. It sounded familiar. I looked over at Theo who seemed on guard before he looked over at me, wondering what my reaction was about.

'Mum?' Alice said, getting up. 'I'll go and see what she wants and I'll try and send her upstairs so you two and get out without her seeing you.' Alice explained quickly before she headed into the corridor. This is not meant to happen.

'Ellie, sweetheart, calm down for me.' Theo said softly, gently holding my wrists as I teared up and looked at him. 'Ellie.' He sighed as he hugged me and I tried to keep it together. 'What's up?'

'When Alice's Mum called, it was too familiar. I remembered it.' I mumbled to him and he took a deep breath. 'But I was one if I was taken. I shouldn't have.'

'I dunno how the brain works, but I trust you. Perhaps… this isn't the best thing to do but there isn't overly a way we can get out without you seeing Riley but it means that Riley, Alice's Mum, has got a flight back from England so they've already done all the questions they needed.' Theo explained to me softly. 'Don't completely discredit what you're feeling, but be cautious.' Theo warned and I nodded.

'How did it go?' We heard Alice ask her Mum in a hushed whisper.

'The questions were brutal. They kept asking why I gave up Isabella to try and trick me into saying something about her and then asked why I would let two one-year-olds out in the garden alone even though I could see you always and it was the second I went to help Rian get a bottle that Isabella went. They asked me what I thought Isabella was doing now, and what I pictured her to be like. It was non-stop for hours.' Riley explained to Alice, her Irish accent thick. 'They dismissed me telling me they're still trying to work out if Ellie was Isabella, but they can't take any risks and will need to run the DNA through several different agencies to see if they all match up. I just want my baby girl back.' Theo kissed my forehead as he pulled me to stand up.

'Sorry, Mum.' Alice simply said. 'You might get Isabella back.' She said softly. 'Let's get you a bath so you can go to bed.' We heard footsteps on the stairs before they stopped.

'I just want to sit down for a second, Alice.' Riley told her as she came closer to the door.

'No!' Alice said but it was too late. Riley had pushed opened the door and she was exactly how I would imagine her to be like; you could see Alice in Riley (well, more like Riley in Alice) but older, slightly rounder, hair greying. She looked tired from the hours of ruthless interrogation. I also knew if Grace was behind the questions, it would be more ruthless than any other interrogation. But Riley's face lit up as she saw me.

'Isabella?' She whispered and I looked at Theo who put his arm around my back and onto my hip. Riley's eyes then flicked over to Theo before her mouth hit the floor. She curtsies slightly. 'Your… Highness.'

'Probably too late to tell you not to freak out, Mum, isn't it?' Alice asked from the doorway before looking over at me and mouthing sorry. I smiled shyly and shook my head as she smiled back.

'Yeah, a bit.' Riley replied. The silence was heavy for a split second before Theo knew what to do.

'Mrs Hutchinson, it's a delight to meet you.' Theo said politely, moving forward to shake her hand.

'Yeah.' Was all Riley said.

'Right.' Theo said before looking at Alice.

'I'll show you the way out.' Alice said and I nodded as I smiled shyly past Riley and out the front door. Alice gently put the door on latch before she closed it and looked at me. 'Sorry about that, she really doesn't do well with shock.' Alice explained and I nodded.

'That's okay.' I whispered, and Alice smiled at me before she opened her arms and hugged me. I hugged back – something I didn't think I would do.

'It was lovely to meet you Ellie. I really do hope you are my sister.' She whispered to me before she let go. 'Please keep in touch, okay?' She said and I nodded.

'Yeah, yeah of course.' I said and Theo gently hugged me.

'I'll see you later, then, Ellie… Theo… is that okay?' Alice asked and Theo laughed.

'That's fine. We'll see you later, Alice. Thank you for this.' Theo said softly as Alice smiled shyly before heading back into the house as we headed back into the car with the security drivers inside. I felt bad for leaving them but I knew Theo had text them and told them they could go and break until nine tonight – so they had only been in the car for three hours and they had books and iPads I could see. The second we were in the car, the doors locked and the security lad started driving us back to the airport.

'I think I like your sister.' Theo said to me.

'If she is my sister.' I corrected him and he gave me a funny look.

'I literally have no doubts – she's your sister.'

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

Hey,

Sorry for the late update but when no one reviews and you're busy with university work, you don't really have motivation to write anything! Please let me know if you want me to continue


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

We had got back to Buckingham Palace at three in the morning after a very smooth flight. The security guys who had met us at the private airstrip an hour away from London greeted us before he ferried us back to the Palace. Then we carried our bags out and into Theo's suite in the Palace and headed straight to bed. Too tired to care what I looked like, I tied my hair in a rough ponytail and stripped down to just my underwear. You could tell the cleaners had been in and rearranged the rooms, but I was exhausted, mildly jetlagged and just wanted to sleep. Theo watched me as I sat on the edge of the bed.

'How are you feeling?' Theo asked, coming and kneeling in front of me as I rubbed my eyes.

'Tired.' I whispered, and he looked at me.

'About what just happened in Ireland.' Theo asked back as his hand landed on my knee. I looked at him and shrugged.

'I don't know how to feel, Theo.' I whispered as I started to cry. 'I don't know.' I mumbled as Theo tutted as he scooped me up and walked over to my side of the bed as he tucked me in. He then climbed over me and under the duvet before he hugged me and I rolled over in his arms. He kissed my forehead as he gently played with my hair.

'What don't you know about?' Theo asked me softly as he held me.

'I think she is my sister. I mean – I almost know. But something doesn't seem right.' I told Theo and he rubbed my arms.

'And why doesn't it seem right?'

'That I go undetected for any family for absolutely years and then suddenly we both get kidnapped and the second the services get a lead, we suddenly find my family? But then… let's be honest, I think now there is no doubt about Alice…. is there?' I looked up at Theo and he just my eyes. He didn't need to say what he was thinking. 'I'm just… I think I'm making excuses to try and making this seem more reasonable.' I mumbled.

'I think you're overtired.' Theo told me and I shook my head.

'I'm not even tired anymore.' I mumbled to Theo and he smiled at me, kissing me gently before I tried to deepen the kiss, climbing on top of Theo. He abruptly stopped kissing me and held my waist.

'You are tired, Ellie.' Theo said softly. 'Come on, we can sleep and discuss this tomorrow.' Theo smiled at me, and then he stroked my leg. 'We can totally do this tomorrow too.' He mocked, and I rolled my eyes as I laid down next to him. 'Tomorrow we'll go and find Andrew, see what has happened with the interviews. We can go from there.'

'Mmmmm.' I mumbled as I drifted off. So much for protesting that I'm not tired.

Eventually, I woke up the next morning feeling well rested. I was still curled up into Theo's chest, his arm around me, his finger gently tracing patterns on my exposed hip. I adjusted my head as I watched Theo reply to some emails on his phone before I looked up at him.

'Morning.' He said to me gently as he kissed my forehead. 'Well. Afternoon.'

'Afternoon?' I asked, my voice sounding funny as Theo gently kissed me.

'It's half two, you've been sound asleep.' Theo said as I adjusted myself to sit up. 'I can't really blame jetlag, we were an hour ahead in Tenerife. You must have just been shattered from this morning.'

'I guess.' I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. 'Have we heard anything from the lab about the genetics?'

Theo shrugged. 'I haven't a clue, look, the decision you have to make about all of that can come at any time. You don't have to know the genetic results when it comes through. You can open up that envelope the second you get it or ten years down the line. In the nicest way possible, you don't owe anyone anything. You don't have to open that envelope to answer the questions of Riley or Alice. You don't have to open up that envelope because the security guys had got the test done for you, or because Joel tells you it's for the best, or to try and please me or whatever. I will be here, whether you open it today, tomorrow, ten years down the line or never. Whether they're your family, or they're not and it's pure coincidence. You won't lose me no matter what.' Theo said softly as he sat next to me, pulling me into his side as he kissed my forehead. I teared up slightly, looking down at my lap before I smiled shyly. I didn't reply, I just fell into his arms.

'What do you think I should do?' I asked. 'I feel like I'm going around and around in circles, repeating my decisions until I go against it. I just… I just don't know what I want to do.'

'If you're doubting your decision this much, perhaps you're not ready to make it. You have nothing resting on it. You can still make connections with your family if you open that envelope when you've properly settled down in a few years' time.' Theo told me softly before he kissed my cheek. I nodded.

'Yeah, yeah I guess. I just feel bad about Alice and Riley this morning.'

'You can't feel bad about them. Alice gave me her number, so you can contact her. Perhaps message her later and tell her that the DNA test has come back but at the moment there is too much going on to actually open it, it's nothing to do with her and you hope that when the time comes you can still count on her.' I nodded, and Theo smiled. 'Come on, I'll make us breakfast crossed with lunch.'

Sure enough, Theo had sat me on the side as he made a full English fry up for both of us. We kept talking about benign things. And then he brought up the news articles about me after seeing a note left on the kitchen side.

'They've managed to put a lid on the articles about you.' Theo said as he read the postcard-sized note. He handed it to me and I read the very neat printed handwriting; _Your Royal Highness, we have placed all news articles about Miss Paisley under Code C – so all articles will have to go through editors in-house before they are published. We've assigned a news editor to Miss Paisley who will go through guidelines with Ellie, when ready, about what to publish about her and what not._

'Handy.' I said. I knew there had been a shit tonne of news articles posted about me, and that was partially why Theo had taken me abroad; to try and protect me from those articles until something had been put into place. 'So what are we doing this week then?'

'Today, nothing. Tomorrow, you have that tour around the rape crisis centre in Oxford. I can still go with you if you want, and Grace has offered to go as well. And the day after that, we're viewing a house.'

'Woah, hang on. That's a _lot of information._ Tomorrow is the tour?' I asked scared and Theo came over and kissed me softly. 'That's so soon!' I mumbled.

'There's this saddo who lives here who taught Luke and me etiquette and how to deal with everything that we're expected to do. I'll talk to him, see if he can help you. But you'll be fine. The press person Luke and I have had since we were little kids, this lovely lady called Alison will be going with you to get photos and so on, and if you don't want them to be published, she won't publish them.'

'Right.' I whispered as Theo checked the food before he came over to me and held my waist, rocking slightly. 'And the bit _after_ that?'

'The house viewing?' Theo asked, and I nodded. 'Well, I've had my eye on this apartment for a while. It's about fifteen minutes away from here, and I think it'll do us both a World of good to get out of here and have our own place together. It's nothing too big, it's a really fancy apartment that's about the same size as this. It was the one I was on about when we were on the barge. Very modern, got enough space that Joel and his family can stay there overnight if they wanted too.'

'Why do you want to move out?' I asked, hoping it wasn't because of me.

'No, it's not because of you, stop feeling guilty.' Theo quickly kissed me. 'It's past time. I was wanting to move out a good four years ago but I wouldn't have been productive if I lived by myself. And now I have you.'

'Am I just your alarm clock then?'

'You're so much more than my alarm clock… but yeah part of your job role will be my personal alarm clock.' Theo said smugly and I elbowed him. He grinned happily at me before kissing me softly. 'I'm joking.' He said.

'You're not though.' I added and he pulled a face.

'Well, I would hope that if I overslept you would wake me up.' Theo said to me and I nodded. 'So yeah, personal alarm clock.' Theo's phone vibrated and I frowned as he checked it.

'What's happened?' I asked as my heart started racing. Theo gently put his hand on my knee as he read the message.

'Nothing. Luke's just invited us to his for dinner.' Theo said.

'Where do they live again?' I had gone around there a few times but I just got into the chauffeur drove car and had no idea where they lived.

'Windsor, but in the outskirts of the town. It's about a ten-minute drive from the castle, and it's about another ten-minute drive away from Ascot, where they hold the Royal races we go to each year. It's less than an hour drive.' Theo explained and checked his watch. 'You wanna go?'

'Yeah, of course.' I said and Theo smiled, kissing my forehead.

Within the hour, we were in Theo's big black car and heading down the motorway heading to Luke's place. I had changed into a pair of jeans and a white top, tying my damp hair up in a ponytail. We continued to talk in the car, but nothing about the genetics test, what had happened in Ireland this morning, or what had happened to the barge. We mentioned nothing of importance until we headed off the motorway and down into Windsor. I could see the castle from the window.

'So, when do you stay at Windsor Castle?' I asked him.

'Whenever I want to get away. Luke stays in there a lot more than I did, but since he's got his own house just down the road it's gone unoccupied. If I'm doing tours around here, I'd make the week of it. Windsor is a beautiful place.' Theo said as we turned down a road and it leads us into country-like roads; hedges and fields surrounding the place. 'Actually, let's go through the town centre.' Theo said before he pulled into a road, doing a 360 turn and heading in the way we just came.

We remained silent as we came to a few roundabouts before we slowed down dramatically. The castle appeared on the right-hand side of the car and we stopped behind a bus. My jaw dropped as I gaped at the castle. It was huge. Theo looked over at me and smiled at me softly before he kissed me gently.

'Holy shit, it's beautiful.' I whispered before I looked around the town. It was bustling with tourists. The main road was littered with people from every walks of life, teenagers from local towns commuting in for a bit of shopping, or tourists from foreign countries.

'I do love it around here. I really do.' Theo said longingly.

'Then why don't you move out here rather than into Kensington?' I asked him and he frowned as he pulled away; people had started to look at the parked car. I'm not entirely sure if they had noticed who the driver was – Theo wasn't in any type of disguise, but he wasn't polished up to his typical media self. He hadn't done his hair and his blonde fluff was going every which direction. He looked a lot more childish, his cheek had a dimple. Rather than in formalwear, he was in a plain blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. But you would still be able to notice it was Theo.

'I… I don't know. I still want to be as close as I can to Mum. But I don't think I want to live in London.' Theo sighed. 'The more I see what Luke has in the middle of nowhere, the more I want that. I don't want to constantly have security outside of an apartment.'

'Then you don't have too. You don't have anything tying you down at the moment. You're not the King. You don't have kids.' He gave me a look out the corner of his eyes. 'No. No, you don't have any kids yet.' I laughed and he grinned at me, shaking his head. 'But, I'm right. You have no massive considerations at the moment to tie you down. You're a free bird.'

'I have you.' Theo said.

'I'm used to living in a damp bedsit alone. I think I can make do wherever.' I said and Theo smiled. 'Proving you did actually want to move out and I'd come with you?' I said.

'Ellie, of course, you'd come with me.' He said as we left the city centre and headed down quieter roads towards Luke's house. 'I love you, and I want to move in together somewhere with you. I want us to have our own lives.'

I blushed. 'Then I ain't tying you down anywhere. Wherever you want to move too, I will come with. Whether that's an apartment in Kensington or a house out here.' I told him and he smiled and shook his head. 'What?'

'How did I get so lucky to get someone like you?' Theo said to me every so softly.

'I think you settled quite low, my love.' I told him and he shook his head.

'No. No, I haven't. You just don't see your beauty, your personality, your amazing zest for life.' Theo mumbled to me and I frowned. 'Ellie, honestly. You are hands down the most beautiful person I have ever met. But it goes so much further than that. You are the calmest, quirky, and caring person that has ever walked this Earth, you have gone through so much shit, and here you are. It's incredible, it really is.' Theo said softly and I smiled. 'I'll see if there are any nice houses around this area when we get back tonight, see if I can arrange a viewing.'

We indicated not too long after that conversation down a country lane and ended up at some fancy metal gates a few hundred meters down. Security got out of a little booth, saw who was in the driver's seat before they waved the gate open. Theo saluted to them as the security guy bowed his head and we were driving through.

'Although, hopefully not anything this posh.' I mumbled, and Theo laughed.

'Afraid the no security thing is a non-starter.' Theo said and I pulled a face. It almost felt a bit ridiculous how he was joint with the hip with some members of his security detail. Even when we were driving over to here, I knew there was a security car a few cars behind us. It felt like we couldn't go anywhere by ourselves. Eventually, we pulled up outside Grace and Luke's house, parking near their two cars on the driveway. I noticed another car that looked familiar but I couldn't put where I had last seen it; it was probably more security.

I got out the car, and the doors locked as I closed them. Theo looked over at me and nodded towards the door, trying to find the key on his keyring. I still couldn't get over how beautiful their house was. And how weird it was that Theo was house shopping for a place for us two to live. I almost wanted to point out to him that technically, I didn't have a job anymore and no source of income and how guilty I felt living off him, but he didn't even seem to care. He gave me a bank card that was linked to his account to use. He told me not to worry about stuff like that anymore. I knew Theo's net worth was in the millions, but he never actually told me how well off he was (if he is) and just told me to take his word for it and not to ask any more about it.

It also freaked me out that Theo was looking for a place to live for both of us. Together. I mean, I was more than comfortable living with Theo in Buckingham Palace. In fact, I don't think I could ever live on my own again. I never was lonely anymore. Theo would always be around me. The second something wasn't right, he was there. At nights, when the nightmares came, he would be there holding me. During the day when I was deep in thought, he would be beside me in a matter of seconds and would talk sense to me. I guess it made sense that we would live together. But living together on our own, compared to inside a massive Palace, seemed a bit weird.

Theo unlocked the door, and the second we did there was a dog below us. A Labrador of some kind. It wasn't a puppy, but it wasn't very big either.

'Er, Luke, you appear to have a dog in your house.' Theo called as Grace appeared around the corner. 'Or you, Grace, there's a dog in your house.' Theo said as he knelt and fussed the excited pooch who was wiggling around trying to get attention.

'Oh yeah, should have told you. We adopted a dog.'

I got down to the level of the dog and started fussing the dog. The dog was beautiful.

'What's its name?' I asked.

'Nova. She's a girl, just over a year old.' Grace said, pulling a t-shirt over her. You could see the beginnings of her baby bump. Luke appeared beside her, his arm immediately around her shoulder. Lila was nowhere to be seen, so I could only guess she was asleep.

'Did you adopt her yesterday when you went to the animal rescue centre? I knew it was dangerous to let you go.' Theo laughed.

'Yeah, we went with Lila. We walked past Nova and we all fell in love with her. They explained that her previous owners got rid of her because all Nova wants is love and attention and doesn't settle down easily. She's been in kennels the majority of her life. Lila fell in love with her, got really upset when we said we can't take Nova home.' Luke explained. 'We took her aside from the cameras and asked her why she wanted a dog so much. Lila explained back that when the babies come, she won't get as much attention from both of us. So she wants a dog to read her books too so we can spend time with the babies.'

'Luke isn't even lying, that's what Lils told us.' Grace added and my mouth dropped. It was incredible how sensible Lila was, even for a three-and-a-half-year-old. Lila understood that the new babies would need around the clock care and didn't sulk like most first-borns do when they get a new baby brother or sister, but rather wanted a dog so her parents didn't have to worry about her. 'I mean, that's not entirely how it will work, but it was incredible Lila understood that all.'

'We asked one of the shelter workers to let us out with Nova. And sure enough, she came over to us like the did to you, wanted loads of fusses and when Lila sat on the floor with Nova, Nova came straight over and laid on her lap so calmly. So we adopted her there and then. They didn't even bother with a house check. Nova had been seen a fair amount by families, but never had she gone to a child as laid on their lap, so they knew we were the right family for her.' Luke said, fussing the dog.

Grace disappeared around the corner into the lounge and said something to someone before Luke followed her. I eventually stopped fussing the beautiful dog before I walked into the lounge. I saw Joel sitting on the settee against the wall directly in front of me, with Lila asleep laying on him. Elisa and Anya were sat next to Joel and looked at me and smiled. My mouth dropped as Elisa stood up and came over and hugged me tightly. Anya got up as well, hugging me briefly before they both stood there, grinning at me.

'I would get up and hug you, but I appear to have a child on me.' Joel said his arm around Lila.

'What… how?' I asked and Anya smiled at me.

'We totally bunked a day off university to come see you!' Anya said, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she looked over at Joel.

'You said you had a free day.' Joel said to Anya and she pulled a face.

'Er, oops.' Anya laughed, and she looked back at me. 'How are you doing?' Anya asked me before looking behind me. I saw her swallow nervously. 'Hey, Theo.' She said slightly shyly – but she was one of those people who was so naturally confident, that even when she was shy and nervous she seemed like normal. I felt Theo's hand on my back.

'Hey Anya, Elisa, Joel.' Theo said smoothly. 'But you shouldn't be bunking university.'

'What do you know about the university? You never went.' Luke told his older brother as he slid through the crowded doorway and sat back down on the other sofa. 'It's, like, uni-culture to miss days off.' Luke said and Anya clicked and pointed at him.

'Yeah, see Dad.' Anya protested and Elisa rolled her eyes.

'I've never missed a day.' Elisa added as she sat back down next to her Dad. I went over and sat down next to Theo. Grace came back into the room and leaned on the arm of the settee next to Luke.

'Liar.' Anya mumbled and Elisa gave her a look. 'Ellie, you missed days because you didn't want to go in, didn't you?'

I thought about it. 'I don't think I missed an entire day. I did pretend to be ill to get the afternoon off, or I pretended I had an appointment in the morning. But I don't think I had an entire day off.' I said.

'Oh, I missed an entire week off uni once, I just wanted a week off.' Grace added and Luke looked at her with a judgemental look. 'Why are you judging me? I know full well you missed days because you couldn't be arsed to go in.'

'Either way, girls, you shouldn't be bunking university. And Luke and Grace, stop encouraging them.' Joel said.

'Sorry, Joel.' Both Luke and Grace said in sync and I stopped and wandered for a moment how they had become so acquainted that not only did Luke and Grace feel the need to apologise to him, even mockingly, but Joel was comfortable around the first and second in line to the Throne, and the third in line was asleep in his arms. I knew Lila fell asleep wherever but, still.

Nova sat down in front of Anya's feed, waggling her tail excitedly. Anya smiled, leaning forward to fuss her.

'Do you want to take her for a walk around the garden?' Luke said to Anya, running his hand through his hair. He looked over at Grace for a second, almost checking on her, before looking back at Anya. Anya grinned and nodded. 'The harness is next to the door, throw the loop around her neck and it will clip under her stomach, then the lead goes onto the hook on the harness. If you follow the path around by the outhouse and around, it'll be a long enough walk to hopefully tire Nova out.' Luke explained to Anya.

'Lovely.' Anya said and Elisa got up too. 'Dad, wanna come too?' Anya asked and Joel looked down at Lila, who was still fast asleep.

'Will Lila be okay if I move?' Joel asked Grace and she nodded. 'Yeah go on then. Ellie, wanna come for a walk too?'

I looked over at Theo and he just looked at me. 'I ain't your husband, why are you looking at me for permission.'

'I can guarantee you, even if he was your husband, you still don't need to ask permission.' Grace said and Luke looked at her and frowned before looking at me.

'Yeah, I have no idea where she is half of the time.' Luke said, touching his wife's leg.

'Yeah, alright, I'll join you.' I said, getting up as Grace gently lifted Lila of Joel's lap and onto her shoulder.

It didn't take us too long to get ready to take Nova out; the harness simply slipped over her head and clipped under her belly. Grace just told us to follow the cobbled path that went around the outside of the garden and it should only take us an hour or so and gave us some tennis balls. Anya and Elisa took Nova first and as we got out of sights, they ended up around ten foot in front of us as Joel dropped back beside me.

'How are you coping? Honestly.' Joel said to me and I sighed.

'About what part?' I asked.

'All of it, Ellie. The relationship with Theo, how you're doing with the media, the whole barge case and your potential family.' Joel said and I sighed.

'Theo is fine. Well, he's been absolutely brilliant, he really has.' Joel gave me a look and I elbowed him. 'No, but seriously. He's been perfect, I really don't want him to leave. Like, I know it's cliché, I really do love him and I can't even imagine a future without him. I never thought I'd want to settle down and have a family, but with him… I kinda do.' I mumbled and Joel hugged me.

'I'm happy for both of you, I really am. I'm glad you have found someone who treats you for the absolute gem you are. But realistically, I was on about the other three.'

'The media still scare me. I know how full that sector is to want to tear people apart. I saw how easy it was for Anastasia to post that fake news article about Grace is, and how much drama that caused. I can't be dealing if that happened to me. I know there's been a few judgemental ones about me and it gets to me.'

'But thankfully, as Theo is first in line, he has the media bubble around him. They can only post what the media editors approve. He's just extended that to include you.' I stopped walking and I frowned at him.

I knew Theo had never done that for any other girlfriend of his ever, and I also knew Theo could only evoke that media-ban extension, so we used to call it if Theo believed the relationship he was in would be permanent, and normally would be in place if marriage was inevitable. I also remembered what that note had said this morning; the Code C was extended to me but I had no idea what that meant.

We had to study the privacy laws evoked by Buckingham Palace when you work in that sector. It was straightforward; every member of the top ten in the line of succession, and the ruling monarch had the immunity of the media. So, all news articles had to go through the media editors at Buckingham Palace. It meant we could only post what the media editors wanted us to post; news articles about their tours and events and major life events. However, girlfriends in early relationships with them was a free for all. We still had to pass it through the media editors, but they had to tell us what to edit and but couldn't reject the article.

However, the Royal could extend their media ban to their partner and to their children until the age of eighteen. But, the extension is only put on the partners if the member of the royal family wants it too, and it normally means that they believe their future is with that partner. And never, _never,_ has there been a case where the Royal has extended their ban to their partner and they weren't engaged within a year. Never. Luke extended his ban over Grace a week before their baby announcement and they were engaged a few months after. Caroline, before she was Queen, had extended her ban over Edward and he proposed 2 months later.

I had no idea Theo had extended the ban onto me. And I knew the potential implications. But, even though it was a shock, I wasn't scared of it.

'Guessing you didn't know that?'

'No.' I whispered and Joel nodded.

'The notice was sent out at around nine this morning straight from the Palace. Theo's requested for you to be put under his media ban, and all new news article has to go through the stricter rules.' Joel whispered, and I nodded. Joel then lowered his voice. 'I better be invited to the wedding, actually, he better ask me before he proposes.'

'That's not necessarily what the ban extension means.' I mumbled, and Joel gave me a look.

'I'm now concerned you didn't read the rules before agreeing to work in the Royal division.' Joel said and I sighed. 'Need to tighten up those rules when I get back to the office.'

'Why didn't he tell me?'

'Probably he will tell you in the near future, but he knew you would know the potential implications and was a bit hesitant to tell you. Perhaps that he doesn't want to get married yet but rather he just wants to protect you a bit more?' Joel asked, and I shrugged. I guess – but he hasn't mentioned marriage and engagement a few times, I just thought it was a passing comment.

'It might be because of the whole Alice thing, which I'm sure you know about and that's probably why you're here.' I said.

'I'm here because you've just come back from holiday and I wanted to make sure you were okay with this whole media thing. But now you've mentioned Alice – what do you think?'

'Joel, she was identical to me. The more I kept talking to her, the more I realised that she was so similar to me. When her mum walked in, Riley, and she called out for Alice, it sounded familiar – like I remembered it. I think now it's more plausible than it had ever been.' I told him and Joel nodded but looked sad. 'Joel, I'll still consider you, Sara, and the girls as my family.' I whispered. 'I can't just forget everything you have done for me. You are my family.' I said, leaning out and squeezing my hand.

He gave me a fleeting smile. 'I know you will.' He then pulled me into a hug. 'I am so proud of how far you've come since you've met Theo. I didn't like your relationship when you first told me about him, but I was so wrong. He's helped you, but you're the real person who's done wonders.' I blushed at his compliment, but he moved on quickly, knowing I'd have no idea what to say to that. 'Okay, what about the barge leads?'

'Have they heard anything more?'

'Last time I asked Grace, she said Cian was under observation around the clock, and they don't yet have enough to arrest him for anything. A guy like that, they need firm concrete evidence and not a bank charge to a van with fake plates.' Joel explained, watching his daughters talk animatedly a hundred feet or so in front of us, Nova running happily beside them with her tennis balls, doing the odd loop but being generally well behaved.

'I ask too much of Grace, especially now. But I know the case is in good hands and if Grace seems okay with the progress, then I trust we will get somewhere with it eventually. I've healed up fine, I still get an odd backache. Theo, thankfully, is fine too.' I said and I shrugged. 'I have security constantly walking around me so I doubt they can try something like that again. We just have to wait and see what happens, I guess.' I explained and Joel nodded.

'I was talking to the girls on the way over. It's weird, they were talking about Theo like he was a brother to them.' Joel said and I frowned. 'Well, Theo gave them both his number if they needed to contact him about anything, and the girls were messaging him to make sure you were okay with the whole abuse case and after, and then about the family thing. They get on well with him.'

Another thing I didn't know that Theo had done. I suppose the girls didn't want to direct message me to make sure I was okay, especially in the build-up to the court case. They knew I didn't like the pressure of people asking how I was before anything, but they still wanted to make sure I was okay. So they messaged Theo. I had to occasionally take a step back and see things from their point of view. For both Anya and Elisa, things happened quickly.

One day, Joel must have sat them down – probably after the house fire – and told them what had happened. He must have filled them in about the abuse then as well. And then he told them about the relationship between me and Theo. I mean, for Anya and Elisa, it must have appeared the socially awkward, shy girl they saw as their older sister had suddenly bagged the future King who has appeared as number one eligible UK bachelor for several years in a row. But they didn't question it. In fact, the one time I took Theo around Joel's house for dinner, the girls seemed perfectly fine with him. A bit shy at first, but it didn't take them long to see Theo as the kind, somewhat childish, a gentleman I knew him as compared to his public self. Anya, Elisa, Theo and Joel were all playing a game of Twister when I walked in on them at one point. And it's grown to a point that the girls now viewed Theo as a brother, and I knew Joel saw him as a son and they got on well too.

We continued talking as we walked the good six kilometres walk around the garden, eventually finding our way back to the house. Before we came into sight, we saw Luke sitting outside in a pair of shorts and a top, Lila running around playing in a sandpit. Luke gestured to something and Lila went to pick it up.

'Isn't it weird this time last year, we were debating if Lila was a mistake and whether they palmed her off to nannies during the day?' Joel mumbled to me and I nodded.

'And now we know Lila has never seen a babysitter in her life.'

'I judged both Luke and Grace so bad when they announced the pregnancy and even a while after. I feel bad for admitting it, but they were twenty-one, they had only been together for a small while, and it hasn't been done before. But I look at them now and it just makes crystal clear sense. It's amazing how this whole Soulfinder business works.' Joel said and I stopped firmly.

'Sorry – what?' I whispered. Joel wasn't a Savant. I didn't know about Savant's until Theo told me.

'Oh sorry, I said it's amazing how this whole Soulfinder business works.' Joel said, grinning at me. 'Come on, Ellie, I've pretended for four years that I had no idea what Savant's were. I knew all along about you. Elisa can see emotions too, she knew you were a Savant when she first met you.'

'I didn't know until I met Theo, Joel!' I shouted so loud, that even Luke looked at me – he was still a hundred feet away. I shook my head before I lowered my voice. 'I had no idea things like Savant's existed.'

'Wait – you didn't?' Joel asked me and I shook my head.

'If you somehow missed it – I don't know my parents or my family. I'm adopted. How was I meant to know?'

'I just assumed you realised you could play and filter with emotions and worked it out!' Joel said, his hand covering his mouth. 'You're telling me you didn't know for over twenty years?'

'Yes! No idea! Theo had to show me everything.' I said. 'Telepathy, telekinesis, how to use my gift. Everything.' I told Joel and he looked shocked.

'I hid it from you, waiting for you to mention something. Now… now it makes sense!' Joel laughed before he hugged me to his side. He works out a lot and is made of muscle, so his hugs felt warming. 'Ah, that'll be a good story for us to tell people. But yes, we're all Savant's too.'

'I can't believe you didn't tell me!'

'Well, I assumed you knew!' Joel mocked.

'I really hate to break up the laughter, but Grace needs to see you, Ellie.' Luke said, holding his hand up to block out the sun as he squinted. He was around twenty feet away now and Lila was playing in the sandpit that he was sitting in. Lila waved happily to us, now in a summer dress. The temperature was in the mid-twenties as a heat wave had hit when we were in Tenerife. I waved back at Lila as Elisa rolled up her jeans and joined her in the sandbox. Lila got distracted by her new friend, and the dog, and started explaining to Elisa the fort she was building. My heart dropped.

'Why?'

'I dunno mate, she doesn't tell me anything these days.' Luke laughed. 'I ain't special enough now the dog is here, and with the baby on the way.'

'Grace is pregnant again?' Elisa asked Luke and Luke looked back at her with a frown.

'How have you not noticed?' Luke laughed at her and she shrugged. 'I have so many questions.' Luke continued as I walked away.

I went inside and found Grace sitting at the table with Theo opposite her. Joel came in with me, Anya behind us, but we all stopped as we walked into a thick atmosphere. Grace looked up at me and I knew it wasn't good news.

'The DNA results are back.' Grace told me, holding up a sealed envelope. 'They've all been collectively analyses from the different labs and whatever the results are, it's conclusive.' I sat down nervously beside Theo who looked over at me as I continued to stare at the A4 envelope that had been handed to me. It was addressed to me but addressed to the care of the special operation centre in Buckingham Palace.

'Do security know?'

'No. We agreed it was best if you found out first. We will eventually have to find out if you don't want to open it.' Grace whispered, touching the small bump she had developed. I tried to work it out; if she was five weeks the week of Christmas, she must be around thirteen weeks now and was showing quite a bit. I knew that meant the Palace announcement would be coming any week now. The dress she wore to the shelter yesterday hid the developing bump perfectly. 'We'll give you some time.'

I sighed and I watched as Grace stood up and walked out the room into the living room again. Joel rubbed my shoulder as he followed her, and Anya trailed behind her Father. Theo stayed for a moment before he too stood up and I frowned.

'Where do you think you're going?' I said quietly to the envelope.

'I thought you wanted a moment?' He replied back gently and I shook my head.

'Please don't leave me.' I mumbled and he sat immediately back down before he pulled the chair closer to him. He then hugged me into his shoulder. 'I'm scared.' I told him. 'I didn't think it would be this quick, Theo. This can change everything.'

'You don't have to open it, sweetheart. You can keep it closed, shred it, and everyone who is in your life now will stay how they are. We can be your family.' Theo said. 'But, if you open it, it could be the answer to all your questions about Alice and Riley.'

'I don't know what to do.' I said, starting to cry as Theo tutted and kissed my forehead. His eyes were a deep, thoughtful blue and his hair was fluffy as always like a stereotypical Prince Charming.

'Do what you think is best, and suits what you are thinking internally.'

I thought about it; I saw today how my two separate families interacted. I had Joel and the girls, and I had Theo and his family. They both got on perfectly. Even as we speak, Elisa is in the sandbox with Luke, probably talking about ridiculous things like normal, and Lila was happily playing with both her father and someone I considered to be my younger sister. Grace was talking to Joel and Anya like they had been long lost friends catching up. I had my perfect boyfriend who was so supportive beside me, who wasn't pushing me into a decision.

But, on the other hand, I had the potential of having a twin sister who seemed so caring and brilliant when we had visited her randomly. I could see me and Alice becoming incredibly close. I had the potential to have a mother, a father, siblings by the spoonful, uncles and aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews of my own, grandparents – everything I had ever wanted.

I made my decision quickly and I met Theo's gaze and I took a deep breath.

/

Heya,

Sorry this has taken long, I've been very swamped with university work and I have exams coming up! I hope you enjoy it!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I made my decision quickly, and I met Theo's gaze as I took a deep breath. I held it for a while before fidgeting with the envelope. The envelope itself was large, padded, and you could tell it had multiple pieces of paper in. I looked back at Theo before I put the envelope down on the table. I had mentally weighted up what I had at home, with Theo and Joel, and the limited encounter I had with Alice. As much as a I owed it to Alice to do something, I couldn't even attempt to give up what I had. The connection between that family and the barge was also too much to fathom.

'I have everything I want here.' I said to him and Theo smiled at me, his gaze dropping to my lips before gently kissing me. I then immediately panicked. 'Did I make the correct call?' Theo moved his arm around my back before meeting my eyes.

'I think you have. You weren't ready.' Theo said to me softly as he played with my hair. 'You already have a lot going on, mainly because of me, I don't think you could have dealt with trying to find and adapt to a new family. You might want to keep that, you might be completely settled down soon and change your mind.' Theo explained to me and I nodded. There was a lot going on; my first tour was tomorrow, we had an appointment to view a flat of our own and there was the _media ban_ to discuss.

'I know you extended the media ban over me, Theo.' I mumbled to him and he just raised his eyebrows slightly.

'I was going to tell you tomorrow. How did you find out – oh, Joel.' Theo said and I nodded.

'I also know what it means.' I said nervously as I looked down at my fidgeting hands. Theo just kissed my cheek.

'Honestly, I hoped you would.' Theo said softly, and I frowned at him, just to watch the grin go over his face.

'Really?'

He just continued to smile at me before Nova ran into the house through the door I had just come into, nudging Theo before running outside again. Theo laughed as he kissed me softly. 'Look, don't worry too much about it. Whatever happens, will come in time and when it feels right, it'll happen. Don't stress too much about stuff like that.' Theo said to me and I nodded.

'Everything okay in here?' Elisa asked as she came in, rubbing her arm nervously.

'Yeah, it's all good.' I told her and Elisa nodded again before rubbing her nose.

'You just gonna sit here then?' Elisa said and Theo laughed.

'We'll come out in a second.' Theo added and Elisa nodded.

'I'll hold you to that.' Elisa said, pointing at Theo before she left the room. Theo then met my gaze again.

'Come on then, should we join your family outside?' Theo whispered before he stood up, holding his hand out for me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

By the end of the week, I had started to settle into the new family so to speak. The day after we went to Grace's house and I decided not to open the DNA test envelope, I went to my first official tour. It was quite possibly the most nerve-racking thing I had ever done, but in the morning, Theo introduced me to the Palace photographer Alison who photographs all the tours the boys and Grace do. Alison was the nicest person I could ever meet who calmed my nerves down and got in the car with me, heading to the rape clinic in Northern London.

I went around talking to members of staff and clinicians and had a sit down with those who work and volunteer here. Alison joined in and took some photos, and I ended up leaving four hours after I was due to leave anyway. I wasn't entirely sure how it went, but I left with Alison to head home and she shared the photos back to the press office, and by the time I came home, Drill had already run the story and the people were acting overall very happy and impressed with how I portrayed myself.

The next day, Theo took me around to see the flat he has seen in Kensington for us. The flat was lovely, but I could tell Theo wasn't overly happy. I asked him what it was, and he said it felt too clinical for a home. So, I then booked a housing view for a home in Sandhurst; a very posh area in Surrey and opposite where Theo had done his military training a few years ago. It didn't take long for Theo to put down an offer on a five-bedroom house at the end of a long close in a very quiet area.

We had just got home when we had a phone call from Luke. Theo answered and put the phone on speaker.

'You alright, brother?' Theo said as he passed me a mug of coffee.

'Yeah, it's all good – can you do me a favour?' Luke asked, and he sounded like he was in a room that echoed.

'Yeah, what's up?' The asked frowning.

'Grace went unresponsive earlier and collapsed. She's gone into hospital and it was basically just dehydration from the twins and she basically wasn't looking after herself properly.' Luke said and Theo met my eyes in a panic. 'We just need someone to bring Lila to the hospital. She knew Grace wasn't well and was very scared, we just need to let Lila see Grace so she stops panicking. Mum is looking after now but she needs the security to follow her so she can't drop Lila off.'

'Yeah, we will leave now.' Theo said immediately, getting up. 'Does the media know?'

'There's a few people camped outside, yeah. We're gonna announce it later if it doesn't get leaked first. We made it to fourteen weeks, so I can't complain too much. I mean, we're thinking of playing with the media this time. I need to double check with Mum first but we're considering just telling the press in an announcement that Grace is pregnant again and everything is going smoothly and the hospitalisation is more down too Grace not looking after herself properly. We won't announce its twins and try and play it off if we can. We can have a sweepstake.'

I laughed before piping up. 'How are you going to hide twins for months? I feel like might not work.'

'Well, Grace was _HUGE_ when she was pregnant with Lila.' Luke laughed.

'Oi!' We heard Grace shout in the distance.

'You were love. So, if she's big this time we're hoping the media won't question it too much.' Luke said.

'I reckon you'll get to about seven months and it'll leak or you'll come clean or something.' Theo said and Luke laughed.

'Duely noted, welcome to the sweepstake. Ellie, what're your bets?' Luke asked.

'I dunno, what have you and Grace said?' I asked as Theo gestured for me to put a jacket on. I got up, sliding it over my shoulders and he nodded, coming forward and kissing my forehead. He then disappeared.

'I reckon we could do it. Our end hope is when we leave the hospital with the twins, we're gonna get Grace or me to go out with one of the twins, and a few seconds later get Lila to carry the other twin out without anyone knowing it's twins. So I reckon we can get to then. Grace thinks it'll happen accidentally and it'll be announced in pronouns, so they'd say something plural and not singular and she thinks it will happen when she steps down from duties a few weeks before the due date. So we're open to bets.'

Theo came back over with a scarf, placing it around my neck and tying it up before he did the zip up on my jacket. He then chucked me a bobble hat. Considering it was meant to be heading into spring, there was a thin layer of snow on the floor already, and temperatures were in the minus at their highest. I smiled gratefully at him as I whacked my head over the top.

'I think you could get past your due date, but it'll be announced before you leave.' I said and I heard gentle laughter.

'I would be so pissed.' Grace laughed.

'What has Mum said.' Theo asked, kissing my forehead after he straightened the line of my bobble hat.

'Oh, we're not getting her involved. She'd cheat.' Luke laughed. 'She knows its twins and seems more than slightly confused.'

'More than slightly confused.' Grace added.

'Well it's literally never happened in our family before, Grace. Like never. There is no protocol, there is nothing even mentioning twins. So we're not entirely sure what we're gonna do yet. We're very confused about the whole thing.'

'They're not identical, are they?'

'No, dizygotic.' Grace said and Theo frowned.

'I didn't go to university Grace, I have no idea what that means!' Theo laughed.

'Oh yeah, forgot you went straight into the Army.' Grace said and I had to also add, I did quite often forget Theo did three tours with his regiment but stopped when the crown duties got too much. Based on how he speaks about it, I think he would still be in the Army if he didn't have to do the duties. 'Non-identical, different genetics. More like siblings than carbon copies.'

'So it'll just be like siblings then, won't it?' Theo asked. 'Whichever sibling is born first will be the middle child, and the twin that's born will be the youngest and will go from there?'

'I guess so, to be fair, makes sense.' Grace said.

'Mum said she'll look into it for us but do it secretly, if we change any laws now it'll be obvious. Oh, oh look at that kids! We're breaking the news!' Like said and I frowned before I pulled out my phone from my back pocket. Sure enough, my breaking news app on my phone, which popped us a notification on my lock screen, displayed the notice of pregnancy. The small photo in the corner was one taken of Luke and Grace hugging, with Grace looking up at Luke lovingly. The notification read; _Second in line Prince Luke and his wife, Princess Grace, are expecting their second child._

'Yep, there it is. It just says second. Not second and third.' I said and there was silence for a second.

'Good! We're off to a good start. What does the article say?' Luke asked and Theo came over and brought me some shoes. I sat down as I shoved the boots on. I loaded up the article.

'Err, there we go. _Second in line to the throne, Prince Luke, and his wife of four months, Princess Grace, are thought to be expecting their second child. As of they, there has not been an official announcement of pregnancy from Buckingham Palace. However, inside sources have confirmed Grace was admitted to hospital earlier today for dehydration after she collapsed at her house in Windsor. At the moment, this has been diagnosed as a form of extreme morning sickness, a result of the pregnancy. This will, in turn, lead to an announcement by Buckingham Palace in the next few hours. It is believed the Princess will be around the nine-week mark, meaning the due date will in early November. The baby will be fourth in line to the Throne, behind their big sister Princess Lila. Their position in the linear to the Throne is likely to change is Prince Theodore has children of his own._ It does say more to come but I think that summed it up pretty well. _'_

'Perfect, there we go, the bet is on.' Luke said and I heard a noise from the phone.

'Alright, we're going to go now and bring Lila down to you. We'll be around half an hour.' Theo said. He said goodbye to his brother before hanging up the phone.

'Our own kids, hey?' Theo said softly as he read the article again on my phone, coming up to me and putting his arms around my waist. He then gently kissed my forehead, then my cheek before he lifted me up, resting me on the edge of the kitchen worktop as he kissed my neck. 'You know what we need to do –'

'As much as I am loving this, Theo,' I said slightly out of breath. 'We did just say we'd bring Lila down to Grace and Luke.' I mumbled

'Don't mention my niece, my brother and my sister in law when I'm tryna seduce you.' Theo said as he played with the top hem of my top.

'Seriously. I wanna do this.'

'Good.' Theo whispered, kissing me again. I pulled away.

'Theo!' I said and he groaned.

'You, my wonderful girlfriend, have too many morals.' Theo said before kissing me again, picking me up before dropping me on the floor gently. 'Later?'

'Fine.' I said and Theo kissed me gently again. 'Now, we need to go and pick up your niece, and take her to the hospital.'

It took around another five minutes for Theo to calm down enough to be seen in public again, and it gave me enough time to fix my makeup and the hat and scarf set Theo had put on me. I knew there were cameras outside the hospital, the cameras would see me and Theo for the first time since the court case – and the court case was completely accidental and no one knew Theo would be there. I adjusted the hat to cover the back part of my head and whacked on a bit of mascara before sliding my phone in my back pocket. Theo met me at the bottom of the stairs before we left the house, walking down to Caroline's living quarters. We knocked on the door and heard a child run to the door, opening the door.

'Uncle Theo! Auntie Ellie!' Lila shouted coming and hugging us.

'Hey, Lila.' Theo laughed as he knelt and hugged the girl, who then tottered over to me and hugged me too. 'Where's Nanny?'

'She's in the lounge.'

I quickly scooped up Lila and rested her on my hip as we walked into the living room. Theo immediately stopped when we saw Caroline sitting on the settee, looking like she was in shock.

'Mum, what's wrong?' Theo asked before immediately heading over to her side.

'Twins.' She mumbled and Theo met my eyes.

'Ah, Luke told you then?' He joked even though Luke already warned us about her slight confusion about the whole twin situation.

'You knew?!' Caroline raised her voice.

'I knew.' Lila said happily to me and I grinned at her, brushing her hair out of her face.

'Yeah, we found out after the whole New Years incident. Grace had the early scan and we found out when they were discharged from the hospital. We agreed not to tell you as you'd be – well – this.' Theo explained.

'Two. Two babies.' Caroline whispered and Theo nodded.

'That is what twins mean.' Theo explained. 'Two babies at the same time.'

'But… two?'

'Two! I am going to have 2 sisters!' Lila shouted.

'Or brothers. Or one of each.' I explained to Lila and she grinned.

'That's a lot of Grandchildren at the same time. That's two-thirds of my Grandchildren… at the same time.'

'That's maths.' Lila whispered to me and I laughed at her.

'Do you want to go and put on a nice dress? We're gonna take you to go and see Mummy and Daddy in hospital.' I told Lila as Theo kept talking to his mother about how exactly there would be two children born at the same time. Lila looked a bit more hesitant.

'Is Mummy okay?' Lila mumbled nervously.

'She is fine. You see, when a woman is pregnant she may become very ill because of the baby in her tummy,' I explained, tiggling Lila's tummy. 'the baby will take up a lot of space and it can make the mummy feel very ill, and it can cause a lot of sickness and mummy might seem more tired too. Especially as there are two babies, mummy might be slightly ill but she is still okay, she will still love you and she will come out of the hospital.' I mumbled, and Lila nodded.

'Why do the babies hate her?' Lila asked and I laughed slightly.

'They don't know what they're doing, Lila. They will still love you, and Mummy and Daddy, okay?' Lila rested her head on my shoulder. 'Mummy will still love you too, and she might be ill for a while, but she will always love you, and soon there will not be just one or two little siblings for you to love and to play with. And your siblings will be your best friends.' I explained to Lila, feeling a twinge of guilt in my stomach – was I depriving myself of that friendship with Alice? But Lila nodded and smiled softly before I put her down on the floor. She happily tottered off to go and put on a dress, ready to go and see Grace in hospital. I looked over at Theo.

I don't know when Theo and Caroline stopped talking, but when I turned around they were both looking at me with smiles on their faces. I blushed before I walked over to Theo.

'Well, that was adorable.' Theo said to me before he kissed my forehead as I sat down. Caroline smiled at both of us.

'And is there anything you two want to tell me whilst I'm in a state of shock?' Caroline asked jokingly as she took a sip of her coffee.

'Er, yeah. We put in an offer on a house in Sandhurst.' Theo sad and Caroline did a spit take. Lila came back into the room. 'And I extended the media ban to Ellie as well. We all know what that means.' Theo said as he came up to Lila, picking her up.

'You _what?!_ ' Caroline said.

'Bye Mum, I'll see you later!' Theo said as he gestured for me to come to the door.

'You're moving in together? In Sandhurst? And you extended the ban!' Caroline said.

'Say goodbye to Nana, for now, Lils.' Theo said, laughing.

'Bye Nanny!' Lila called as we left the room. I smiled shyly at Caroline before we left the house. Lila happily spoke to both me and Theo as we walked her down to the car park. Security had already pulled into position just around to the corner and we had already been told we could park up in one of the bays that had already secured for us before we could walk around into the hospital, past all the media.

It took Theo no more than twenty minutes to pull up at the hospital. Lila was very quiet for a second as we gently took her out of her of the car seat and place her on the floor.

'There was a lot of cameras.' Lila whispered, and Theo knelt next to her.

'Hey, it'll be okay Lils. We're just going to walk past and we're all going to pretend they're not there. Then we can find Mummy and get you a cuddle.' Theo whispered, and I nodded at her. Lila smiled and nodded shyly. 'Look, hold my hand if you want too.' Theo said holding his hand out. Lila nervously took it. I also then held my hand out and she took my hand too, gratefully. We all walked out of the car park and around the front of the hospital.

I was horrified by the number of cameras there was; cameras lined the other side of the street, metal barricades had been set up to keep the press at bay. The flashing was constant.

'You alright?' Theo leant over and whispered to me and I nodded at Theo.

'So many people.' I laughed.

'Just imagine how bad it will be when the baby is born.' Theo laughed. Lila then stopped nervously. I immediately bent down.

'There's a lot of people. I want Mummy and Daddy.' Lila said close to tears. Without even thinking about it, I picked Lila up and rested her on my hip as she hugged me. Theo came over to me and put his hand around my waist.

'Lila, why don't you wave to the camera – Mummy is probably watching.' Theo said softly to Lila and I felt her wave to the cameras and heard the collective "aww" from the media as we headed up the stairs, Theo's hand remaining on my back. As we entered the hospital, a nurse immediately greeted us and showed us down what felt like hundreds of corridors. Eventually, the nurse stopped by a door.

'They're just in there, everything seems all okay and Her Royal Highness should be able to be discharged tonight if she remains stable.'

'Thank you.' Theo said curtly before he opened the door.

'Mummy! Daddy!' Lila shouted. I looked in and saw Grace laying on the hospital bed with a blanket over her. Luke was sitting next to her, one leg on the bed and the other on the floor as Grace leant into him. I put Lila down on the floor and she immediately ran over to Luke, jumping up at her father. Luke immediately picked her up, hugging her tight, before placing her on the bed. Lila then hugged Grace as she laughed, kissing Lila on the forehead as she hugged her tight.

'You were very good for the camera people outside.' Grace whispered.

'Are you okay?' Lila asked and Grace nodded.

'Yeah, of course, I am.' Grace said comforting her daughter as she curled up. 'Do you want to see your baby siblings?' Grace said softly, pulling out an ultrasound and holding it in front of Lila.

'So, how was Mum about the whole twin situation.' Luke asked Theo as we sat down on the settee.

'Yeah, we're having a talk about that – you nearly gave Mum a heart attack. I had to explain to her how many babies' twins were. She was in shock.' Theo explained as he put his hand on my lap.

'Brilliant.' Luke laughed.

'She then asked if I was hiding anything and I told her about the media ban and the house offer and she nearly fainted. We shouldn't have left her there alone.' Theo joked at me before he kissed me.

'Oh, God. We agreed you can't get married until Lila is eighteen.' Luke said and Grace looked at him.

'She ain't growing up.'

'You can't get engaged before the babies are born, we need someone to babysit for us and she can't do that if she's planning the wedding of a century.'

'Woah woah woah, let's limit the conversation of commitment.' I joked as the boys laughed.

But then I caught the looks they were giving each other – the look of knowing, subtle conversation through eye contact. They were already planning something.

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Hiya,

Sorry this is past due, I've been so caught up with my exams that have nearly finished and I have decided (well, i've started writing it but i dunno if i wanna post it) that i'd do a final chapter on Protecting Grace but do it about the wedding with Luke. What do we think?

Also i feel like this is going no where, what do we think? please review and lemmie know as im slightly reluctant to keep this going


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

We spent another few hours in the hospital with Grace and Luke, until Grace got the all clear to be discharged. The nurses and doctors ran through with her what she can do to prevent collapsing again as well as how much she needs to drink a day and the best pre-natal care. She was due to have another ultrasound next week to make sure the babies were developing fine and the illness had no effect on them, but they were convinced nothing happened. They had done a very quick ultrasound and the twins seemed fine and were developing perfectly - a steady heartbeat and they were moving normally. Luke had booked two weeks off work to care for Grace and to look after Lila so Grace can rest.

The only issue is the media had turned up fully. The street was completely packed and I had quietly watched as a media assistant came in and out of the hospital room explaining to both Luke and Theo what was happening outside and the protocol they would have to go through. The middle-aged woman explained Grace and Luke will leave together, Lila can decide if she wants to go out with Grace and Luke or with me and Theo, and myself and Theo would follow and get into the back car. We would then head back to Buckingham Palace, where Grace would stay overnight before heading back to Windsor.

'You ready?' Luke asked Grace as she got changed into a pair of jeans and a black top. She pulled down the blacktop.

'Do I look pregnant?' Grace asked and Luke looked at her.

'You are pregnant.' Luke said and Grace smiled as she looked in the mirror.

'Yes, but do I _look_ pregnant.' Grace asked again and Luke smiled before he looked down at her stomach before he nodded.

'Not too bad all things considering. You can tell you're pregnant but not too big now. About normal for a single baby. There's a bump there and you can just about see it.' Luke gently said, touching her stomach as he smiled shyly. I leant my head against Theo's chest and he hugged me softly. 'You ready to go?' Luke asked Grace and she nodded.

'Ya!' Lila shouted as she came over to Luke. Luke laughed as he picked her up and hugged her tight.

'Come on then Lila, shall we go home?' Grace asked her daughter and Lila nodded. 'You two ready?' Grace asked Theo and myself and I nodded.

'Yeah, we'll meet you back at the Palace. You need to speak to Mum and make sure she isn't having a heart attack, still.' Theo said and Luke laughed.

'Fine!' Luke said as we all got up heading to the door.

We stood at the entrance to the hospital for around ten minutes whilst security did some clearing. Guards were walking around left and right, talking to Luke and Theo about cars and so on.

'Is it always this much of a state?' I quietly asked Theo and he looked over at me. 'Like, this much security and faffing around?'

'Yeah, I'm afraid so. They're making sure the security cars are in place and then they are bringing a car for Luke and Grace and Lila and another one for us two. All we are gonna do is go down the stairs and get into the second car and I'll drive us back to Buckingham. I still need to teach you how to drive, though, that reminded me.' Theo said to me and I rolled my eyes. 'You can't avoid it forever, Ellie.'

'I can try.' I laughed and Theo smiled and shook his head. Grace and Luke were given the signal to head outside and we walked to follow them before security put an arm across Theo's chest to give Grace and Luke a second. I saw the flashing of cameras and reporters were shouting questions as they stood on the top step of the hospital, and I saw Lila happily waving at people. And then they started to walk down the stairs and the security guard gestured for us to go. Theo put his hand on my back before he led me out of the doors. I immediately saw the second car pull up behind the first one where Luke was heading too. I smiled shyly on the top of the stairs as the sheer number of cameras overwhelmed me; there was easily a hundred cameras all in a line, at different heights and all with flashing lights. There were other reporters with a microphone and I smiled slightly, remembering when I was stood in the crowd when Grace was discharged from hospital after the London terror attacks. Theo looked over at me, smiling, before nodding to the car. I nodded as we headed down the stairs leading to the second car. Grace had just closed the door to the back of the car where Lila had just been strapped in as Luke looked at Theo, hitting his arm as he walked past

'Race you.' Luke said and Theo shook his head, turning around and walking backwards before he pointed at him.

'Behave yourself.' Theo called back as he opened the door, allowing me to climb in.

'Just because you know I would win.' Luke laughed and Grace shook her head.

'Right, I'll drive then if you're gonna be a kid.' Grace said as she walked around the other side of the car and climbed in before he could even argue and Luke just looked at Theo.

'Bet your glad your girlfriend can't drive.' Luke said before he climbed into the car and I shook my head laughing. Theo walked around the car and got in the car, starting the engine and putting his seatbelt on, eventually driving away when the motorcade started up. Grace took a second to drive away, giving Theo enough time to overtake his younger brother and sister-in-law, waving out the window at them as he grinned.

'God, you're a child too. Perhaps I do need to learn to drive to stop you.' I said and he nodded.

'Yep, might be a good idea.' Theo laughed as Grace eventually appeared behind us, flashing her headlights at us. We drove the ten or so minute journey back home, armed police blocking off the street for us as people waved. I watched carefully as people whizzed past before we slowed down approaching Buckingham. 'Try not to look out the window.' Theo said to me and I looked at him and there was a smile on his face.

'It's actually amazing how well you've adjusted to all of this.' Theo said and I smiled shyly.

'Well, that was my life.' I gestured over to the flashing cameras that were facing in on the car as they opened the gates of Buckingham to allow us in.

'And now, this is your life.' Theo said, looking up at Buckingham Palace as he crawled forward. The motorcade started up again and we drove into the front of the Palace before heading through the arches into the turning circle in the middle, pulling up under an arch that could not be seen from the front. I saw the car Grace was driving pull up behind us before she honked. She climbed out of the car, leaving Luke to get Lila out of her car seat as she walked up to Theo.

'You wanker.' She simply said before turning around and sweetly hugging Caroline who had come out of the building to greet us.

'And you're now part of the family.' Theo joked, before also turning to his mother who told him off for messing around with Luke in public, before he childishly mentioned how Luke started it all.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

After that, everything went absolutely sailing. We settled down for the night, waking up in the morning to see happy news articles about Grace expecting her second child with Luke, and how the baby would be fourth in line to the throne, subject to change if Theo went on to have any children. I saw an article Drill has written – by someone new to the Royal department to replace either myself or Anastasia who got fired briefly after the court case when she wanted to trash me (Joel had none of it and got rid of her then for repeatedly breaking her contract). The article mentioned how Luke and Theo were messing around when they were getting into the cars, and how I had an overall positive influence on Theo to get him back from a professional, almost bland, personality he had become in the recent years, to the fun-loving happy-go-lucky Prince he was five or six years ago.

Briefly after that, we had received news for the estate agents saying our offer on the house in Sandhurst had been accepted and, providing we filled in the forms and had the surveys completed promptly, the chain only had one member – us, as we weren't selling Buckingham Palace, and the other house was empty as the owner has downgraded and moved in whilst still owning our new house – therefore the move could happen in a matter of months.

In guilt a few weeks after I didn't open the DNA letter, I called up Alice. Theo had gone out of the Palace to do a tour and I had stayed at home to chill. But instead, I was milling on my guilt. Alice picked up on the third ring and my heart was caught in my throat.

'Hello?' Alice said on the other side of the phone.

'Hey, it's Ellie. I mumbled and there was a silence on the other end of the phone before I heard a bark.

'Hey.' Alice just whispered. 'How are you doing?'

'I'm okay. I got back the DNA test results a few weeks ago.' I said and I heard Alice gasp slightly.

'And?'

'I couldn't open it. There was too much going on at the time. It wasn't that I didn't want to know, it was just… yeah.' I said. 'Sorry, Alice.'

'No, no don't be sorry.' Alice immediately said. 'It's not like you have nothing going on, you are dealing with all new things when it comes to… Theo.' I knew she was very confused as to what to call Theo, debating between formalities, his full title, and just casual. 'It's fine. Did you bin the results?' She asked me.

'No, no I didn't. I put them away somewhere.' I explained. 'Even though I don't think I can open them now, I want to still have the potential to know when everything has settled down.' I explained.

Alice understood and we remained talking on the phone for three and a half hours before Theo came home and I promised her before I hung up that I would keep in contact with her.

After that, everything went completely smoothly; the house was brought and placed both in my name as well as Theo's and for a week, we went around to the new house and decorated all the rooms, placed furniture, waited for internet companies and broadband and so on and returned back to Buckingham at night. However, once we were generally satisfied the house was liveable and up to a decent standard, we made the move. Caroline greeted us in the morning, around half six in the morning, and started crying that her last child who lived with her was moving out. Theo laughed and mocked her, stating we were only an hour down the road and she could come and stay whenever she wanted. Theo was then called out to the removals van where the last of our furniture was being packed up and Caroline took me aside for a moment.

'How are you feeling about this all? I know this is a massive step for you.' Caroline said after calming down and I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee.

'I'm okay about it, I thought I would be a lot more nervous.' I said. 'It just feels… I dunno?'

'Just feels completely normal?' Caroline asked and I nodded.

'I know it's cliché.'

'No, no, of course, it isn't. It's lovely to watch you and Theodore. He was becoming a proper moody handful before he met you, and now you two balance each other out perfectly. You give him the calmness and happiness he had lost before, and he gives you the helping hand you need at times. You two are perfectly suited for each other.' Caroline said and I blushed, taking another sip of my coffee trying to hide my reaction. 'I never thought I'd find someone who would be able to look after my Theodore, to love him as much as I do. He's an odd person. Luke was very much independent, able to look after himself, from the age of seven but Theodore needs nudges every so often to get things done and to move on with life. But with you, well, you're all he needs.'

'Thanks.' I whispered into my cuppa, not too sure what to say.

'I know I shouldn't be looking at your relationship with Theo this way, but you're the exact type of person I could see taking over me when I abdicate.' Caroline said, making sure Theo wasn't coming in. 'Like, Theo would be fine but you'd be an amazing leader alongside him, providing that calm in times of horror, giving everyone someone to look up too. And, not to mention, you'd be an incredible parent too for your child that will eventually replace Theo.' I swallowed, but for once the whole children conversation didn't make me nervous and want to run away. 'I see a lot of myself in there. You're unique, not the stereotypical person you'd expect a Prince would go for. Everyone expected Theo to marry a Princess from another country or some model, but I knew he deserved so much better than them. I had only met two of his ex's and let me tell you, they were so dull. Like plain crackers. But you, you have everything they didn't have and more. You are the most compassionate, caring person I have ever met, and I cannot wait for you to be my daughter in law properly.' Caroline said as she hugged me to her side.

And then I frowned, wondering what Caroline meant. Daughter in law properly? Was she suggesting marriage?

'Wait, what do you mean, daughter in law properly?' I asked and Caroline looked panicked for a second.

'I was just discussing the inevitable.' Caroline said quickly and I nodded, not entirely sure if she was telling the truth or not. I debated it quickly but Caroline moved on. 'Have you heard anything from your supposed family in Ireland?'

'I called Alice last week and explained to her I am more than happy with what I have now, and there's too much going on now to deal with that. They still don't know who kidnapped us and left us on the barge, but they believe it could be that man that is related to that family and it would just be too much – they'd look into if I was Isabella, and how I got kidnapped when I was a toddler, and then how I was found when I was two and a bit. It's just a lot to go through and I don't want to know the results and be thrown into that family where there is a high chance that the person who kidnapped Theo is in that family. Grace still doesn't know why Cian would have kidnapped Theo, so just adding him and myself into the family could just put Theo into too much danger.' I explained in a long-winded way in a slightly panicked way.

'Ellie, it would also put yourself at risk and not just Theo.' Caroline pointed out.

'But Theo…'

'Theo has had training for stuff like this, what happened at Winter Wonderland was a failure of multiple security protocol. You need to look after yourself, and if you're scared about this Cian and whether he might be a threat to yourself, then trust your gut. People like Alice, if she is your sister, will understand, and will be waiting for you when you decide to open when you think it is safe.' Caroline explained to me.

'I guess, I just… Will it ever be safe?' I asked and Caroline smiled.

'Now there are the questions you need to ask.' Caroline said. 'It will never be safe, not now, and not when you're a princess. It'll never be safe. You've seen what happened to Grace and Luke, and there are reasons why everyone must have security training. It's not whenever _its_ safe to do so, It's whenever you feel safe.' Caroline explained.

'What are you two on about?' Theo laughed, coming up behind me and putting his hand around my waist.

'Just things, are you ready to go?' Caroline asked and Theo nodded.

'Yep, just got the stuff for the car and we are good to go.' Theo said, gesturing to the two hardback suitcases that were in the hallway a few feet away from. The apartment in Buckingham was to remain fully furnished in case we returned back to the Palace for a few days but would be reset with neutral furnishings. 'We should probably leave now if we want to be in our new home before rush hour starts.'

'I'll be over soon, probably at the weekend.' Caroline said.

'I've put a bottle of your favourite wine in the fridge, every time you realise I am no longer here, find your cat and have a glass.' Theo instructed his mother before looking down at me. 'You are ready?'

'Yep.' I said as Theo gently kissed me, winking at his mother before he walked over to the suitcases. He gently pushed my suitcase over to me. The suitcases held enough clothes for a few days whilst we settled down as well as things we would need immediately when we moved in. Theo gently touched my back before he turned around to Caroline. 'See you soon, Mum.' Theo said with a small smile.

'Be sensible on your first night alone.' Caroline joked and Theo pulled a face, slightly grossed out by his mother's comment as he opened the front door, gesturing out. I pushed my suitcase out as Theo followed, closing the door on his mother.

'Gross.' Theo whispered as I went on tiptoes and kissed his cheeks. He smiled at me. 'Come on then my beautiful girl.'

Theo led me down to his car – the giant Black Rangerover he has had since we met – and put the two suitcases in the back of the car before he opened the passenger side door to me, allowing me to climb in before he smiled shyly, and then headed over to the driver's side. He turned on the engine.

'Ready for the start of an adventure?' He whispered to me.

'Hell yeah.' I replied as Theo reversed out of his space before we headed out of London.

We managed to arrive at our new house an hour and a bit later after we got caught in traffic. Large gates were blocking the entrance to the lane to the house. I noticed security standing to one side, in a booth that was slightly hidden, before the gates opened. The security bowed his head as he revved the car and crawled down the path. Eventually, the road gave out into a large bricked area in front of two double garages and I noticed another car was parked to one side; a smaller car – a brand new red Ford Fiesta.

'Whose car is that?' I asked, knowing it wasn't Luke's or Grace's car.

'It's yours.' Theo said and I looked at him for a moment. 'Well, I couldn't teach you how to drive in this monster.' He laughed, hitting the dashboard. 'There's a large asphalted area on the fields that back onto the house, the old owner used to have a pool there in summer and rented it out during the airshow in the towns nearby, but it means I can teach you the basics to drive here before we go out onto the road.'

'You really didn't need to, Theo.' I whispered and he smiled.

'I know. But I wanted too.'

The house was almost perfect and we had practically unpacked and rearranged everything perfectly by dinner. I was in the kitchen, taking a sip of my cup of tea and when Theo came up.

'How are you dealing with this all?' I asked Theo.

'It's weird not having Mum nearby.' Theo replied. 'But I think I like it. How are you holding up?'

'Good, yeah, really good.' I said and he smiled.

'Good.' He said before his gaze fell to my lips and he moved forward, kissing me softly. His hands immediately went around my back, one on my shoulder blade holding me close as my arms linked around his neck. He eventually pulled away, resting his forehead on mine. 'I'm so proud of you, my beautiful girl. You've come so far and you've done so well.' He whispered to me before I blushed. 'Pizza and movie night?'

'Pizza and movie night.' I agreed. So it was that way; Theo ordered two pizzas and some chicken strips with wedges, and then some ice cream as well as we put on a film. I laid against his lap, my head comfortably on his thighs with a blanket over myself, as Theo gently rubbed my arms as the film drained on. I must have fallen asleep as I eventually woke up as the film ended.

'Well that was a good film.' Theo said, and I looked up at him and he looked at me.

'Yeah, amazing film. Loved the ending.' I mumbled, and Theo smiled.

'You fell asleep.' Theo laughed.

'Nope, no I didn't. I was just focusing on the soundtrack with my eyes closed. I just absolutely love the music soundtrack.' I said. 'And the credits, well, you need your eyes open for them, don't you?'

There was silence as I looked up at Theo and there was a small smile on this face, with a deep look in his eyes.

'I love you so much.' Theo whispered. 'Go to sleep if you want too, beautiful, it's been a long day.'

I made some noise in the back of my throat as I laid there on Theo's lap, but I stayed in a state of being half awake and half asleep with my eyes closed as Theo sat there, one hand on my waist gently rubbing up and down, and the other was on his phone as I started to decide what I should get Theo for his birthday in a few weeks' time. I was debating on a few gift ideas before Theo put down his phone and gently picked me up. I snuggled into Theo's chest and I heard him take a deep breath before he gently walked me upstairs, pulling back the duvet and tucking me inside the bed. He sat beside me for a while before he pushed my hair out from my face, kissing my temple before he left the room. I felt bad pretending to be asleep, but I knew Theo would be pissy if I woke up when he picked me up. But I hugged the duvet and grinned, and eventually drifted off again.

The next morning, I woke up laying on Theo's arm as he was fast asleep. I looked up at him and smiled; his blonde hair was fluffy and going every which direction, and I knew he had gone to bed with his hair wet again. There was a small cut on his cheek from unpacking yesterday and his mouth was slightly opened as always. His toned chest was on show as the duvet had fallen down despite the fact it was pretty chilly in the bedroom where the window was open to clear the fumes of the fresh paint. I quickly looked up and saw the view out of the window was entirely white. Like an excited child, I jumped out of bed and looked out the window.

The fields and patios that extended behind the house were completely covered with a thick layer of snow and I gasped. The snow covered everything I could see from the window and I got excited; when we were in the care homes in the snow, we weren't allowed to go out and play, and by the time I went to university there was no proper heavy snow, and then when I lived in the flat the snow was just an inconvenience. I never played in the snow and I used to just work with my laptop inside my flat.

'Ellie?' I heard Theo said sleepily. 'You okay?' I turned about and saw Theo, barely awake on his elbow looking up at me. He rubbed his eye.

'It's snowed.' I shouted.

'Has it?' Theo said sleepily.

'Yeah, it is really deep too by the looks of it.' I said and Theo stopped for a minute.

'Is it enough to build a snowman?' Theo asked.

'Yep, easily.' I replied and Theo immediately jumped out of bed and walked to the window, and I laughed at how childish he was. He came up behind me and put his hand on my hip as he looked out the window.

'Well, that solves what we are doing together later.' Theo said. 'Go have a shower, I'll make breakfast and then we can make a snowman and have a snowball fight and just so you know, you have to let me win. I have a very fragile ego.'

I laughed, shaking my head as I walked away and into the shower. It took me a good few minutes to work out how the shower works, but I was only in the scalding hot water for a quick shower before jumping out, getting change and putting on some make up before heading downstairs. Theo had made breakfast as usual; toast, eggs, and some bacon as well as a cup of coffee each. It did not take us long to wolf down breakfast before we put on wellies, thick jumpers and coats and headed outside. I saw a security guard standing outside the back door, who bowed his head as we appeared and Theo handed him over a thermal flask, to which he gratefully took.

I walked out into the field slightly, up some stairs, admiring the beauty of the fields before I got a snowball to the back of my head. I turned around to see Theo kneeling down on the floor, making another snowball.

'This is war.' I laughed, joking, as I knelt down and got a handful of snow, compressing it together to make a shape – it definitely was not a ball – and threw it roughly at Theo. It hit his chest and he laughed. It wasn't bad for my first snowball. The snowball fight lasted for a good twenty minutes – we laughed all the way through before Theo eventually tackled me to the floor, landing me on my back as he straddled me.

'Admit I win.'

'No.' I laughed, attempting to roll but Theo pinned me to the floor. 'This is cheating, can we get the rules officially checked?' I mocked.

'Alister! Is it illegal to tackle someone in a snowball fight?' Theo called the security guard he gave the flask too.

'Nope, completely legal, not cheating.' Alister called back and Theo nodded.

'See!' Theo said. 'So, I win, yes?'

'Fine.' I laughed as he leant forward and kissed me, gently running his finger down my face before he kissed me again. 'You win, but I did good for my first snowball fight, right?' I said and he nodded.

'Very good actually. I'll teach you some techniques and then you'll be a real match for me. We could make a brilliant team.' He added and I nodded.

'Me and you against Luke and Grace?'

'Oh God, not against Grace, I don't want to die – Luke and Lila.' Theo said. 'I have no issues with having a competitive snowball fight with my toddler niece.'

'I hope you wouldn't tackle Lila to the floor like this.' I laughed, and he just sat on me for a second or two, looking down at me for a second with a small grin on his face. 'What?' I laughed awkwardly before he just grinned a bit more before he got off me and pulled me up. I brushed the snow off my thick coat before shaking my now wet ponytail and looking at Theo who just grinned and shook his head.

'What?' I repeated and he just kissed my temple.

'Snowman?' Theo said, gesturing to some untouched snow just up the road.

'Your Highness, Ma'am,' Alister said, coming up to us before looking at me. 'Joel is calling you repeatedly, ma'am, he says it's urgent and he needs to speak to both of you now.' Alister said and I just looked at Theo as I started to panic. 'Your tablet is in the kitchen, you can Skype him, he said you need to see something.' Alister said.

'Thank you.' Theo said curtly before he took my hand and guided me into the kitchen. 'Don't bother guarding out here, the snow is too thick, may as well come in.' Theo added and Alister bowed his head with a small smile.

'Thank you, sir.' Alister said politely as we walked into the kitchen, taking off all our thick clothes and leaving them near the doormat before I walked over and grabbed the tablet that was sitting on the side. Theo quickly came over and joined me, moving the chair to sit directly next to me. Just as I got my tablet set up, the Skype tone started playing and I knew Joel was the one ringing and I immediately answered it.

'Joel, what's going on?' I asked quickly as he came into focus; he was at home in his office – I could recognise by the mint green walls behind him.

'Ellie?' He asked before I must have come into focus. 'I was going through the leads we have for news articles, stuff that only I can see and the other major editors, and I came across this email.' He explained promptly before he flipped the camera and showed me his emails. I frowned at the screen. Joel continued to explain. 'About 1 am this morning, we had an email from a completely anonymous source. The address doesn't link to any news body, it's just a blank email address full of numbers, and somehow they know all the emails of all the senior editors in every major news company across the UK and America; they're all on there. Attached is around thirty photos of you and Theo.'

My heart dropped.

'What kind of photos?' Theo immediately asked as his hand went to touch my thigh.

'It's a perfect timeline of your relationship together, mate.' Joel said as he opened the slideshow of photos. The first photo was one of Theo gently holding my arm in the street and I knew it was from when he told me my flat was on fire. The next was in the gardens at Buckingham Palace with Lila as Theo attempted to teach me to swim; the photo was extremely grainy. Then a photo of Theo and I shopping in a local supermarket, Theo in a beanie hat and a coat and me in normal clothing. A few photos later, there was a professional looking photo of Theo with his arm around my shoulders at the Christmas dinner.

Walking down the path at Grace's house in horrific Christmas jumpers – but it was equally as grainy you couldn't really make us out.

A photo of us two at Winter Wonderland, eating pretzels.

Then a CCTV shot of us two lying unconscious in the waters of the barge. The next photo showed Theo holding me on his lap before a photo of us two standing up in the water.

Then a photo of us two in hospital, Theo beside me, resting his head on my bed as he watched me in the hospital bed, myself just about awake looking at him, holding his hand.

A few photos of the court case, and then one after where we went for a meal.

A close of Theo and I on the beach in Tenerife, in swimwear, talking to each other.

A photo of us outside at night with Alice in Ireland as we said goodbye to her.

A grainy photo of Theo sitting in the driver's seat of a car, looking at me with that smile, as I looked at Windsor castle.

A handful of photos from recent tours and events.

A photo of Theo and Caroline, in some room in Buckingham Palace, the table was covered in what looked like jewellery, with Theo holding something that suspiciously looked like a ring or a large pendant of a necklace.

A professional shot of Theo and I leaving the hospital with Grace and Luke took yesterday, followed by a grainy photo of Theo and I getting out the car when we were in Buckingham Palace.

And the last photo was one taken only yesterday from afar in the Buckingham Palace car park, where Theo was packing the car with me standing just beside him, arms crossed, before he opened the door for me.

Someone had been stalking us since we had got together, photographing our every move.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

'Ellie, sweetheart, can you calm down for me?' Theo said ever so sweetly. Joel had reassured us that the vast majority of the news editors in that email cannot publish the photos due to the media ban that Theo had extended over me, but there were one or two that he was unsure of, having never heard their names before and therefore unsure if they would follow the rules. He hung up the second he got hold of Grace, who he was talking too now to try and work out what the best to do. The second Joel hung up, I started crying and hyperventilating and was unable to think clearly. Theo had picked me up and taken me back up to our new bedroom, putting a thick throw around my shoulders and hugging me to his side to try and get me to calm down.

'You're okay, this will all be okay, let's just focus on breathing now, okay sweetheart?' Theo said softly, his hand on my knee. Gently, he started telling me to breathe in and breathe out on his command and I did so, and eventually, I stopped crying. I was still shaking and I tightened the blanket around me.

'Theo, someone's been stalking and taking photos of us.' I whispered – and it had been going on extensively. From the second Theo picked me up when my flat was on fire. It had been going on for a really long time – six or so months. 'Some of them were in Buckingham Palace, or at Grace's. Someone is following us – and they had photos from the barge.'

'I know, sweetheart.' Theo mumbled. 'We can sort it out, there has to be an explanation and a solution.'

'They had photos from the barge, the person stalking us must have been behind it. Those photos must have been from CCTV. But it means they've been stalking us since the barge. We aren't safe, are we?'

'We are safe now, Ellie. This place has been cleared of cameras, the walls have been plastered over. The place is constantly covered with security guards and the windows are one way, so you can't see in. Security is not allowed in the house unless we request them too. This is probably the safest place.' Theo explained to me slowly.

'But, one of the photos was just you in Buckingham in a room with your mum.' I said and I thought of the photo, he was holding jewellery. Theo looked down at his lap awkwardly.

'Yeah, kinda wish that photo wasn't included. But Buckingham has security everywhere, cameras everywhere, people constantly wandering around, in all honesty, I'm mildly confused as to how this has never happened before, it's easy to leak information. Remember someone managed to get into Buckingham and kidnap Lila when she was a baby. Buckingham isn't as safe as here.' Theo assured me. 'This whole stalking business has happened to a lot of celebrities and they always get caught, don't worry. We will be safe and we can also capture the person who kidnapped us, and we can move on.' Theo explained and I nodded as I curled into him a bit more. He held me and kissed me.

'What were you doing looking at jewellery with your Mum?' I asked and he remained silent. I looked up at his face and I could see he was slightly panicked and didn't know what to say and I frowned.

'I can't tell you that.' He mumbled awkwardly and I frowned even more.

'Can't or won't?' I asked and he hesitated for a second.

'More like don't want too.' Theo said and I nodded.

'Fair enough, hope you're not cheating.' I said and he laughed and shook his head.

'No, no no. If you need a slight hint, it was completely the opposite. But I will neither confirm or deny any more questions you ask.' Theo said, and as I went to question what he meant as the cogs started to turn in my mind, Theo's phone went off. He pulled out his phone. 'It's Luke. I better take it.'

He quickly jumped out of the room, gently pulling the door too as I sat up in my bed. I heard Theo say hello to his younger brother before he went into the spare room opposite our bedroom, but he didn't close the door so I could still hear some gentle mumbling. I sat there for a few minutes as I strained my ears to hear what Theo was saying. Eventually, I got bored and jumped up, quietly walking over the floor and opening the bedroom door, standing outside for a while. Theo had put Luke on speaker phone like he does by habit, and I could hear him pacing.

'Grace is still looking into it, seeing if there is any link between the photos, but she can't quite work it out with what she has at home, she needs to head to the office but we can't even get out the drive.' Luke said. 'She's sent them off to the internals to get them reviewed.'

'Snow that bad over there then?'

'A good foot, I'd guess. How bad is it at yours?' Luke said.

'I'd say the same. Enough that Ellie and I managed to have a snowball fight.'

'You better have let her win.'

'Nope! I am totally the winner at all times.'

'God, so smug. How is Ellie dealing with the photos? I know they won't be published or at least yet, but it must have shaken her up a lot.' Luke said and Theo sighed.

'She wasn't okay, bless her. She cried for a bit, I calmed her down, but I'm just as freaked out as she is. Those photos were from every location. They had ones where we weren't even together. They had ones from inside one of the securest rooms in Buckingham Palace.'

'Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you about that – what were you doing looking at Great Nan's jewellery collection with Mum? Because that's where I got the stones for Grace's engagement ring.' Theo just remained silent. 'No!'

'Shh.' Theo quickly shushed his brother.

'You're not… no!'

'Luke.' Theo said sharply.

'You're gonna propose to Ellie?!' Luke said and my face dropped and my heart stopped as well. I guess it made sense; he was looking at expensive jewellery and family heirlooms with his mother, he was holding a ring. I asked if he was cheating on me, and he laughed and said it was quite the opposite. I just assumed until now that no one would want to ever marry me - let alone a Prince. And a few nights ago, as we were half asleep, he asked me if I thought I would want to get married to him in the future when everything had calmed down. He extended the ban, he told his Mum about the ban and she seemed startled. But not only that, Caroline hinted about me becoming her daughter in law. Of course, I said yes. But I never thought he would think about doing it so soon.

'I was just looking at rings, Luke, shopping around and seeing what Mum thought of it. I was considering it, but I don't want to put her at any more risk than is needed, so until this photo thing is over, that's on hold.' Theo explained sensibly.

'I mean, I guess… I think the person stalking you both are focusing on her, really. They have photos of when you two weren't even together and it seems to be more on her than you… so perhaps it's best? Does Ellie know you were going to ask her to marry her?'

'It would make sense, but why her? I get us, we aren't exactly loved by all but what has Ellie done? She's gone from just a journalist who's the only enemy might have been us to my girlfriend. I guess her family in Ireland, that Cian guy who was linked to the van might be a good guess? I dunno, I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see what everyone says. And I wasn't hiding it from Ellie – but I wasn't blatantly telling her. Like she knew about the ban and she knows that I'd want to marry her but she doesn't know I was actively planning.' Theo explained and I bit my lip. I know now.

'Right. When were you thinking of asking her?'

'It doesn't matter now. I have to keep her safe.' Theo said softly.

'You can –' Luke started but I heard Grace interrupt him. 'Theo?' Grace said.

'Yeah?' Theo replied.

'There isn't much we can do about the photos. I've sent them off to the office, they've put out the executive so if anyone publishes it they will be sued. We have a statement ready if they do get out but there's nothing horrendous in there. The only ones we need to be careful with is the barge ones and the hospital ones as the public don't know about the barge situation – well, the full details. Security won't be in your house anymore, they will be milling around in case the mole is within security. The people who managed to make it into the office today are tryna track who had access and go through CCTV everywhere but it might be a long process.' Grace said. 'You need to go and make sure Ellie is okay about this.'

'Alright, thanks for looking into it Grace.' Theo said and I knew he was genuinely thankful for having his sister in law is on hand to deal with situations like this.

'Yeah no mate, you're welcome for this.' Luke said.

'You are as useless as a lamp post, shut up.' Theo joked.

'Alright, bye then.'

Before I even had a chance to move and hide so Theo didn't know I was eavesdropping, he came out the door and nearly walked straight into me. He sighed slightly as I looked down at my feet.

'You overhead all of that, didn't you?' Theo asked me softly – he didn't sound annoyed.

'Most.' I mumbled back, meeting his eyes. 'You were gonna propose?' I whispered and I was barely audible to myself. It was a small miracle Theo heard but he nodded.

'At some point, of course, I was. You know I extended the ban over you, you know what that meant. I was just covering all the options. I can't risk it now. The photos, the press, the constant scrutiny of the wedding preparations. I can't risk you. But know when all of this is over, and you're safe…' He simply winked at me before he went to head downstairs.

'Wait… what?' I said and Theo laughed gently and he jogged downstairs. I jogged down behind him and followed him into the kitchen where he stopped. I near enough ran into him and he put his arms out and stopped me. 'What?' He then kissed me.

'You totally heard me. You'll look absolutely beautiful in a wedding dress. So stop over thinking about it, we need to focus on the whole photos thing. We need to focus on.' Theo said before he gently kissed me, rubbing my shoulder.

'What are we gonna do about it? Grace said to leave it.'

'Oh, we're going back out into the snow and making a snowman.' Theo said simply and I rolled my eyes before I followed him – as horrifying as the situation was, it was completely out of my hands. I had no control whatsoever. I couldn't stop the photos being published, I couldn't investigate the threat and try and work out who it was. I could do nothing whatsoever. So, I may as well try and forget about it until the people who _could_ do something to come back to us.

I knew Theo extended the media ban over me as he saw our relationship getting serious, and even though it meant a marriage proposal was inevitable and was on the cards at any given time, it was a lifesaver now. Without the ban over me, whilst the journalists had to be limited on what they could post and post only in a neutral view rather than imposing opinions, the photos would have been a free game. Any media outlet could have posted those photos, shared them with minimal information and it would have been fine. However, with the ban, the stories have to be sent to the media editor for Theo at Buckingham Palace to be approved – which they won't be. It then left the question – would the smaller media outlets or even personal blogs – risk the chance of prosecution to share those photos?

Later that day, we had built several snowmen in a row and had another snowball fight, and nothing more had happened about the photos. I called Grace for a small time and she said the office hadn't got back to her, but the photos hadn't been shared as of yet. I then called Joel and heard similar; none of the major news companies has even bothered suggesting the idea. It was career suicide. The articles wouldn't be published and whoever posted the stories' contract would be terminated as well as destroying their portfolio if they went for another job.

Theo seemed happy still and stood in the kitchen with me as I cooked dinner. I was never too good at making dinner – Theo had obviously been brought up making food from scratch, Caroline teaching him many different recipes that he near enough remembered off by heart, ranging from pasta to tagines. I, on the other hand, practically lived on frozen food and pre-made food all throughout university and living alone. Joel and Sara had taught me some recipes and how to cut food properly and prepare dishes, but I still had to follow the recipe. Theo had taken over with their teaching, showing me now to make a casserole – telling me that even I can't mess up a casserole. At the moment, I was cooking the marinated meat in a pan as Theo showed me how to check the meat was cooked.

'I feel like you can just buy frozen casseroles.' I said to him, moving the browned meat to a plate before heating up some more oil – why was there so much meat in this dish?

'There is so much meat in this dish as it serves six. Leftovers are fine to eat again and we can freeze them too.' Theo explained, obviously using his gift to sense my confusion.

'That's if I don't poison you accidentally, give you food poisoning.' I said and he laughed.

'Sweetheart, the meat is steak, you're fine.' Theo said, hugging me from behind. He kissed my forehead as I followed the recipe, mixing in some flour to the vegetables that were frying to one side and adding in some more wine – taking a swig from the bottle at the same time.

'Paisley.' Theo joked, tutting, before taking the wine away from me.

'If you cook with wine, you should be able to drink wine.' I laughed as he shrugged, taking a swig before putting it on the kitchen island. I sighed and Theo came over and kissed me. 'Focus on the casserole, my beautiful girl. You can do this.'

I was mildly horrified – I had made a decent casserole. Theo had sat next to me on the settee as we ate before I laid down on his shoulder. I had somehow made a habit of falling asleep after dinner, and Theo just lets me as he put on television. Eventually, Theo moved the blanket over my shoulders and I eventually woke up next to him. I looked up at him as he continued to watch television. His blonde hair has darkened a bit compared to when I first met him and was more of a dark blonde, but continued to go in every which direction. His blue eyes were a bit darker due to the evening lighting and he smiled softly at the tv, his dimple appearing in his cheek. His arm was still around me, gently hugging me. My heart faltered for a second as I realised how lucky I was to have someone like Theo, who was so perfect in every single sense of the word. I gently pushed up and kissed his cheek as Theo looked down at me with a mild boy-like look.

'Hey, sweetheart.' Theo said softly before he kissed me.

'Hey.' I said softly.

'I was thinking about earlier.' Theo said, and my heart dropped. 'About the whole proposal thing.' He explained before finding my right hand and he held it gently. 'Would you be alright about it? At no point would I want to make you uncomfortable. I should have asked you about it properly before I went looking at rings and planning it properly. Like – would you be okay with the whole marriage thing? I know it's still early days with us, and we've only been together for six months but… but I want to marry you. I want to spend forever with you, whether we get married now or later. I know you still seemed slightly shocked about it and you said it was okay and you understood what the ban meant but you just seemed a bit more… shocked. You okay with it?' Theo said, and I looked at him, thinking about it.

'Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay with it.' I whispered, and he smiled before he kissed me. 'You'd just have to give me a few days after to understand it properly, but yeah, I'd want to marry you in a heartbeat.' I said and Theo hugged me.

'That's good to know.' Theo whispered as he kissed me before he stretched. 'Shall we head to bed now? Hopefully, the snow will be gone tomorrow – but I doubt it.' Theo said standing up as I continued to sit on the settee. 'No? Didn't want to move then?'

'Errr… na.' I laughed as I laid down and Theo sighed before he picked me up and carried me upstairs, before throwing me on the bed and kissing me hard, his hand already finding its way under my top.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\

I rudely awoke in the dark hours of the next day by someone's phone going off. I knew I was naked lying next to Theo, his arm around my shoulder and my hand on his bare chest. Theo turned to me, blinking awake slowly wandering who's phone it was going off before he realised it was his. He used his spare hand to grab his phone which was on charge on the table next to his bed and squinted against the bright light of the call screen before he realised who's name it was on the screen.

Alice Hutchinson.

My still-could-be twin sister.

Theo immediately answered, putting the phone on the speaker. I quickly had just enough time to see the time on the screen; 3:18 am.

'Alice, are you okay?' Theo asked with a sense of urgency, knowing Alice wouldn't just call up randomly.

'Theo, sorry, I tried to call Ellie but she didn't pick up, and the only other number was yours and I didn't want to disturb you but I don't know what time it and I don't know what to do or where I am and I just don't know what's happening…' Alice said all in one long sentence, panic and tears clear in her voice and Theo looked at me.

'Alice, slow down a second for me. What's happened? Where are you?' Theo said looking at me.

'I went out drinking with the girls, some man brought me a drink, I think, and I went outside to get some air as I felt sick and then I must have passed out and I've ended up somewhere I don't know where. It's all dark, there's water in here, there was a phone on a shelf and it only had this number and Ellie's on here and there was rotting wood everywhere and I don't know what to do.' Alice explained clearly and Theo looked at me, a small frown appearing.

Alice was on a barge – much like Theo and I were on New Years Eve, meaning she was in grave danger. Only this time, there were no clues as to her location.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Please read to the end. Important announcement**

 **/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\**

 **Chapter 19**

I was continuously amazed by the authority Theo had. The second he got that call from Alice, he put in the call to head of security at Buckingham Palace – and the next second, we got told a helicopter was discharged to our house for us to come into Buckingham to lead the investigation. We knew Alice probably didn't have a lot of time before hypothermia starts sitting in and we had to get someone to her as soon as possible.

'Alice?' Theo said again, trying to keep her occupied and conscious.

'Yeah?' She said after a break.

'What percentage is the phone on?' Theo asked Alice calmly and there was a slight pause.

'Thirteen per cent.' Alice said. 'I've been looking around the room and there's no entrance, there is nothing. Nothing at all.' Alice's voice broke and I knew she was moments away from crying.

'Alice, it's okay, we will find you. We're about to go to Buckingham to get the security guys on this to try and find you and bust you out. Just keep moving around and try not to sit down in the water.' She had explained the water was mid-calf deep now and it was filling the room up very slowly with icy water. I knew when we got her out she would likely be in a hospital for a while with hypothermia and was slowly warm her up.

'Okay, yeah, yeah I'll walk around.' Alice said shyly as Theo quickly muted her on the phone.

'Right, we need to get warm. The chopper is five minutes away, they've cleared an area in the garden from snow so go and put some base layers and thermals on underneath. If her battery is low we might need to hang up on her whilst we get to Buckingham so the security guys can try and locate her based on her phones GPS.' Theo explained and I nodded. 'Hey, Ellie, stay calm for me okay? We'll get your sister home. Don't worry, Alice will be safe sweetheart.'

'Okay.' I nodded and Theo smiled at me, gently taking my face in his hands and kissing me softly.

'Alice, are you still there?' Theo said down the phone.

'Yeah, yeah I'm still here.' Alice mumbled back.

'We're going to hang up on you now to try and save your battery, the helicopter to pick us up is only a few minutes away and we can be back at security in about fifteen minutes and then we will call you back up, and we will find out where you are and we will get you out.' Theo explained slowly, obviously awake how hypothermia was taking her over. The temperature was already in the minuses, the snow outside freezing, The water Alice was in must easily be freezing temperature or just above.

'You won't leave me here, will you? I don't know what to do, I don't know where I am, I don't know what to do.' Alice started panicking.

'No, Alice, we won't leave you. We are doing all we can to find out where you are and we will bring you back home to your dog and we will make sure you are safe. You're going to have to trust us here. Just keep moving around, looking for a way out. We will call you the second we touch down – but call us if something major happens first – okay sweetheart?' Theo said down the phone.

'Okay, yeah, okay, thank you, Theo. Sorry again.' Alice mumbled and he shook his head.

'Don't be sorry. I'll call you in a bit.' Theo hung up and looked at me. 'If you are twins, it would explain why you always apologise for things that aren't your fault.'

'Sorry.' I said before Theo frowned at me before he gently kissed me.

'Get changed now.' Theo said as he passed me a pair of jeans and some thermal tops and a hoody. He got up next to me, sliding some underwear on as he also got changed. 'Do you think this person is the same person who had the photos of us?' Theo asked as he threw a t-shirt on.

I never even considered they would be connected – the two nights we have been in our new house seemed ruined; we had the news photos sent to us yesterday and now my supposed twin sister was mysteriously taken on a barge, much like Theo and I were three months ago. But they seemed like very two separate incidences. But they had photos from inside the barge when we had just woken up. Photos we didn't even know existed. So perhaps they were?

'I guess…' I mumbled and Theo smiled at me sadly.

'We can get down to the end of it, we can sort this all out.' Theo said before we heart the sound of a helicopter, getting closer before it seemed to sink. Theo pulled a face. 'That'll be the helicopter landing, come on then.'

It took us less than forty minutes to land at Buckingham Palace in the bitingly cold weather. Theo immediately put his coat around my shoulders the second we went outside, realising I had forgotten to put on a jacket of some kind. He then took me inside and we followed security guys down to a room, heading down two flights of stairs and down endless corridors I had never been before into a darkened office space.

It appeared to be the operations centre; there were windows overlooking the front of Buckingham Palace, looking at the gates. A bit further into the room was a massive bank of computers which were now surrounded by computer screens. Men wandered around everywhere, with the map of the UK on the screen and monitoring some kind of input.

'Your Highness, ma'am.' Andrew came up to us and bowed slightly – I knew he was in charge of the branch of security Grace worked at. 'We're already trying to track down any unauthorised boat and barge hire in the UK and Ireland, and any ports that have spotted anything dodgy and we have around forty-eight flagged up suspicious boat hires and around a hundred and twenty different barges been dispatched by non-licensed users. It seems high but it's a very dodgy business. We're live tracking the locations and trying to backdate any movements back to a port call in the last several hours.' He explained and I nodded. 'We have had officers speak to Ellie's friends in Ireland and they said she disappeared at eleven.' I looked at the clock; that was five hours ago now. 'So we're trying to find any barges or boats that docked before eleven and left around one in the morning at the latest. She must have been on the barge for a while.'

'Kids, have you still got the phone number she phoned on?' I heard Grace said as she wheeled back in her chair. She was still in pyjamas; a pair of jogging bottoms and a tight fitting top, emphasising the baby bump that was forming. You could now tell easily she was pregnant but she didn't seem massively big considering she was having twins. I'd say easily she looked normal for a single baby pregnancy. But then I realised it was stupidly early in the morning and she must have also been flown in to help us.

'Grace, what are you doing here?' Theo asked quietly and she gestured in the air.

'I'm doing my job, Theo.' Grace said.

'Did they fly you in?'

'Yes, Theo, they called me in and flew me here as well. Luke is trying to settle down Lila in his room. Can you pass me the phone so we can start trying to track GPS.' Grace said and Theo immediately pulled out his phone and handed it to her as she plugged in the phone. 'Now call Alice back.'

I moved over with Theo and sat down next to Grace. Theo immediately dialled back down the number that Alice had previously called on. Grace immediately started typing on her laptop, doing some kind of coding and having several different programmes at the same time.

Alice picked up on the third ring.

'Ellie? Theo?' Alice said in a panic as Grace started to do some more typing. Theo looked at me.

'Alice, Hi, we're here now. Has anything happened there yet?' I asked.

'Er, well, um. The waters rising. I think it's getting colder, but I can't really feel it anymore. But, but, no one has, like, come in yet or said anything and, like, I don't know where I am. I can't hear anything outside.' I looked at Grace's laptop and saw her checking barges that had been flagged up.

'How are you feeling?' Theo asked as he put his arm around me.

'Er, I'm feeling pretty fine, a bit chilly but I'll be okay. Are you any closer to finding me? Like the waters high now, it's like, just above my waist, and it's cold and there are bits of ice and I'm feeling a bit dizzy as well and…' Alice kept rambling on as Grace mouthed "hypothermia" to someone across the room who immediately typed it in on a computer. Grace wrote something down on paper and slid it across to me. I read it out down the phone.

'Can you tell us what you did this morning?' I asked and Grace nodded, continuing to check around the ports. She seemed to be particularly interested in one that looked near Scotland somewhere. Grace started probing into that particular dockyard as Alice answered back.

'Er, I woke up and walked the dog around the park and went home. I think I went for lunch with my brothers in the afternoon. I got some Hunters Chicken I believe. And then I went home, and I… I can't remember what happened. Some of my friends came over to mine, suggested we go to the pub. I didn't have many drinks. One or two. Some guy was talking to me at the bar, I went to the loo, came back and he got me a drink. I then went outside to get some air, I felt rough, and I just passed out.' Near the end, I saw Luke come into the room with a very awake toddler on his hip. Luke came over to Grace and mumbled something to Grace.

'We're going to put you on mute for a second to quickly discuss something.' Grace said.

'Okay, okay, thank you.'

'What is she doing up?' Grace asked as she picked up her daughter and Lila started grizzling. 'I told you not to bring her down here when all of this is going on.' Grace said gently to Luke and he nodded.

'I shouldn't have, but she wasn't settling. I asked her why she was crying and listen. Lila, sweetheart, can you tell Mummy what you were seeing when you had your bad dream?' Luke said very gently to his daughter as he gently played with her hair. Lila sniffled as she hugged Grace.

'Auntie Ellie… was, was, she was in a dark box. There was some water and she was really sad. She was crying a lot. She was scared too. Auntie Ellie was scared, but some people found her in the box. She was near a big boat. There was a castle in the distance but it wasn't nanny's castle. Nanny's castle was different. Then Ellie fell over and no one could wake her up.' Lila stated crying into Grace's shoulder.

'Hey, Lils, Auntie Ellie's here, see?' Theo said and Lila looked up and me and smiled before she held her arms up to me. I gently took her and hugged her.

'I'm here, don't worry.' I whispered.

'No – but she's on about Alice.' Grace said and looked at the dockyard. 'One that flagged up was in Edinburgh – Scotland. Near the Royal Yacht Britannia, you can see the castle from the bay and there's a big boat there too. Someone hired a boat earlier today and it left the dockyard at just before half twelve. Toeskin, have we got any troops up there?'

'In Edinburgh? We have a few people we can commandeer. We can call the lifeboats out if needed. How confident are we about this?' Andrew came over to us. 'I mean, has Lila ever done this before?'

'She's done a few things but it's always like she doesn't want to touch the milk as she knows she will knock it over. Sure enough, she does. We've never really thought too much of it or told her about the whole aspect, you know –' Grace explained and I knew she meant the Savant aspect to her.

'What do you think? Trust her judgement?' Andrew asked and Grace hesitated before nodding.

'Yep. What have we got to lose? We need to find Alice as soon as we can or she will suffer health wise. May as well get the coastguard to look for the boat and search it, see what we get from there. We can stay here until we get some form of confirmation that Alice is there.' Grace said. Andrew put in the call to dispatch them.

I looked over at Theo and I must have had tears in my eyes as Theo immediately put his arm around me and kissed my forehead, gently rubbing my back. 'I promise you, we can do this.' Theo mumbled to me. 'You can be there for Alice when she comes back. She will come back.' Theo said as Andrew got the clear that lifeboats were dispatched in Edinburgh.

'Mummy, will Auntie Ellie be okay? She looked cold.' Lila whispered tiredly as she hugged Grace.

'Hey, Lila, look, Auntie Ellie is over here.' Theo said softly to Lila as he picked her up and hugged me. He brought her over to me and handed me over.

'Auntie Ellie.' Lila whispered before hugging me. 'You're warm.'

'I know, it wasn't me you dreamt about sweetheart. It was my…' I thought about it for a second. 'It was my sister. She isn't feeling too well and you helped find her. Thank you, Lila.' I told her softly as Lila leant against me. 'You can go back to bed now, don't worry about her. She will be fine now.'

'I helped?' Lila whispered as she already started to fall asleep on my shoulder.

'Yeah, of course, you did. Thank you, sweetheart.' I whispered to her as Luke came over to me, gently touching my back as he took Lila off me.

'I'll take her back up to bed, let me know how it goes. She'll be fine, Ellie.' Luke said, hugging me with one arm. He kissed Grace as he walked past as Grace grinned at him as he disappeared from the briefing room, with a now very sleepy-looking Lila.

It took another 20 minutes of talking across radios and phone calls and Grace and her team tracking down various boats in the locations. I remained on the phone with Alice. Eventually, Alice spoke up.

'Hey, Ellie, are you still there?' Alice asked.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm here, are you okay?'

'Yeah, I just, I think someone's on the boat now. There are feet upstairs, and, and yelling.' Grace looked up to Andrew who nodded – confirming that the crew in Edinburgh was on the boat now. I took a deep breath and fell into Theo's chest as he hugged me. We heard people talking on the boat, asking if there was anyone on board.

'Alice, can you reply to the men on the board so they can find out where you are properly?' We heard Alice then call out to the people on the boat, and a lot of commotion after. There was a sound of knocking on wood.

'How high the water?' Theo asked Alice and she took a deep breath.

'Shoulder height? Just below?' Alice mumbled and Grace messaged it onto the team. There were about 5 minutes of heavy hammering and loud noises.

'Theo.' Grace said to him as he held me tight. 'They're breaking through the wood now to get to Alice, they have visuals on her.' Grace explained and I gasped and grinned and Theo hugged me tighter. 'She's going to be taken out of that room and placed under anaesthetic as the second she gets out of the water she will go into shock and hypothermia will set in. She'll be under for a while, a few days most likely, they're gonna take her to a hospital local to Edinburgh and they'll go from there. Do you guys want to head up?' Grace said as she rubbed her bump.

'Yeah, I'll take her up there. Thanks for this Grace.' Theo said and she smiled and nodded before she started typing again on her laptop, and Andrew was on the phone to the rescue team. I watched some video on the screen, linked to the rescue crew. I saw them breaking down the door and water running out.

'No problem kid.' Grace said before she called for a helicopter to come and pick us up. Theo gently tugged me into a walk.

'You may as well get changed and get some warm clothing on.' Theo explained as he walked me back to his place in the palace. 'It's freezing before the sun comes up.' He whispered and I nodded before I realised something. I stood still. 'Are you okay, sweetheart?'

'Happy birthday, Theo.' I whispered, realising it was March 2nd, his birthday.

'Oh yeah, forgot I had one of every year. Thank you.' He kissed me softly.

'Er, you don't have to come if you don't want too, I don't want to ruin your birthday.' I said and Theo gently smiled at me and shook his head.

'Of course, I will come down with you, birthdays aren't too important now. You are more important than another day. Come on, let's go and find your sister.' Theo said and I kissed him softly.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\

It was dawn when we arrived at the hospital, and we were escorted down into a private room down a corridor. We walked down the corridor before a doctor stopped us.

'Your Highness, ma'am.' He said. 'We've placed Alice under immediate sedation to try and keep her body from going into shock. Her temperature when we started working on her was five degrees lower than the normal temperature. It'll take about a day to bring her body up slowly enough, but she should be conscious by this evening. You're the only ones who can see her, though, until she's awake and coherent enough to give us a full statement to prevent cross-contamination. We have called her parents, they're flying over but we will keep her to one side.' The doctor explained.

'Does she have any other form of injuries.' I explained as Theo held me to his side.

'A few cuts and bruises. There was some form of Rohypnol in her system, which would explain how she went from clubbing to the boat. There is no shadow on her lungs which would indicate any water she inhaled but, she should make a quick recovery.'

'Thank you, doctor.' I said and he nodded before opening the door to Alice's hospital room.

She was lying tucked up in the bed. She seemed a bit paler than normal but it wasn't anything shocking – she just looked fast asleep with several thick blankets on her.

'Oh God.' I whispered and Theo came straight over and wrapped his arms around me as he kissed the top of my head.

'She'll be fine.' Theo whispered to me as he hugged me before he pulled up two chairs. I yawned and he smiled at me softly. 'Sweetheart, look, go and have a nap on the settee. If she wakes up, I'll wake you up too.'

'But Theo, you've also been awake all night.' I said and he nodded. 'And it's also your birthday, you should sleep.' I still felt guilty he was spending his birthday in the hospital waiting for my sister to wake up from anaesthetics. All of his presents I got him were under the bed at home and I had planned to make him breakfast in bed – but now we couldn't do any of that.

'Sweetheart, you go to sleep now. I'll wake you up in a couple of hours and I'll sleep them. Honestly, go have a nap.' Theo said softly. 'I think they'll bring food around soon, so, yeah I'm content for a while.'

I sat down on the settee and Theo smiled at me before getting up and putting a blanket on me as I laid down. Theo gently squatted beside me and kissed my forehead. 'I love you.' He whispered as he gently played with my hair.

I must have fallen asleep as I woke up a few hours later. I saw Theo sitting next to the bed, on his phone, answering emails and messages. I slowly got up, walking over to him and hugging from behind.

'Hey sweetheart, did you have a good sleep?' Theo asked as he rubbed my arm.

'Yeah, thank you. Do you wanna go to sleep now?'

'Na, I'm good. Listen, sweetheart, all of Alice's family has turned up. Like, _all_ of her siblings and her parents, and a few nieces and nephews.' My heart dropped and Theo gently put his hand on my arm as he guided me to a chair. 'Do you want to go out and see them or should we just wait here?'

'I think waiting here seems like a good option.' I joked and Theo smiled.

'There is a lot of them. I made the mistake of going to the door with a nurse and they were all just staring at me.' Theo laughed. 'I'm just gonna go and take a nap now, will you be alright?' Theo asked and I nodded.

'Yeah, yeah, of course, I'll be fine.' I said and he smiled softly. 'Thank you for this, Theo, I really do appreciate it.' I mumbled and he shook his head.

'You'd do this for me in a second if it was Luke, wouldn't you?' Theo asked and I remained silent – of course, I would. 'I think you might have to accept you are Alice's twin after this if you haven't already. We've both been calling her your sister since the phone call.' I thought about it; we had been. I referred to her several times as my sister, and so had Theo.

'I guess. I'll talk to her about when she wakes up. Now you, go to bed. You're getting old. You need your beauty sleeps.' I joked and Theo smiled at me before he snuggled down into the settee.

I must have been looking around the room, and at Alice – familiarising myself with her face, her bone structure, the marks and dimples in her face – and trying to see how we differed. But eventually, Alice blinked awake.

'Oh my god.' I whispered as Alice looked at me.

'Isabella… no, wait, sorry, Ellie?' She whispered to me as she started shaking. I got another blanket and put it over across her.

'Hey. How are you feeling?' I asked her.

'Cold, really really cold. What happened? Why are you here?' Alice asked.

'You were involved in an incident, you phoned Theo for help.' I explained to her, careful of my words and how I could influence her. 'We got you out, but you're quite ill still. You have hypothermia. You were in the icy water.'

I saw Alice look over and she must have spotted Theo asleep on the settee behind me.

'Why did I call Theo?' She asked me as she curled up further into the blankets around her. 'I think I'd rather be punched in the face then call Theo willingly. He's terrifying.' She whispered, and I laughed.

'He isn't scary.' I laughed.

'You're only saying that as you're screwing him.' Alice mumbled as I laughed before she realised what she said – or rather, who she said it about – and immediately went to apologise.

'Don't worry about it.' I said. 'What do you remember about what happened?'

'I was out with some work friends, we had gone down the pub for a few drinks. There was a guy, I hadn't seen him before. He was standing with me as I waited near the bar to get served. He was chatting and paid for my round of drinks. An hour or so later, I went over to the bar again and he paid for my next drink. A few minutes later I felt really sick and ill and went outside for some fresh air. I, then woke up when I was drowning. It was really dark, like a wooden box, a giant crate kind thing, covered in freezing water. Above me, there was a shelf, and there was a phone on there. And the only two numbers on the phone was yours and Theos.' Alice explained, seeming to remember more and more as she went on. I nodded – it seemed to match up with that I was told by security and what Alice had told me on the phone. 'I remember talking to Theo, thinking about it, and there were other people and suddenly there were people with hammers breaking through the woods. We were on some kind of a boat somewhere, and some people put a lifejacket on me and then gave me an injection of something before they moved me.'

I nodded again and she sighed.

'How long will I be in the hospital for? I have work in the morning.' Alice mumbled to me.

'It's, like, three in the afternoon already. Security has already called your work and explained you'll need a week off. We've gone someone looking after Milo for you.'

'Will I be safe at home. Wait – where am I?'

'A hospital just south of Edinburgh. We're still in Scotland. When you're well enough, we'll get you moved down to near London where security can keep an eye on you.' I explained, repeating what Andrew had explained to me earlier. I knew she would have to stay nearby for a while whilst they worked out who placed her on the boat on the sea in a freezing night.

'I don't have anyone to stay within London.' She mumbled nervously.

'Er… hi.' I said and she looked at me.

'I can't stay with you, Ellie. If you haven't noticed, your boyfriend _is_ a Prince. He's going to be a King one day! That's just weird – I can't possibly stay with you.'

'We don't mention he will eventually be a King, because look at him.' I joked, looking over my shoulder before smiling shyly. Theo was happily asleep, hugging the blanket to his chest. He somehow still looked amazing. 'Look, we'll discuss it more when you get ready for discharge, but I refuse to let you stay in a hotel when we have a new house that has a spare room and we can keep an eye on you.' I explained and she nodded.

'I'm meant to be the older, bossier twin.' Alice said and I grinned at her.

'Well, you probably should get used to it.' I laughed as I heard the door open. Lila then strutted in, holding her duck toy in the crook of her arm as she came over to me.

'Lila, what are you doing here?' I asked as she put her arms up. I quickly picked her up and placed her on my lap as Alice grinned at her. 'Lila, this is Alice.' I said to the toddler as she looked at Alice in bed before she started to frown. She looked back over at me, and then to Alice, and then back to me.

'Auntie Ellie, she looks the same as you.' Lila mumbled as she hugged me.

'Yeah, yeah she does.' I laughed and Alice grinned at her.

'You are adorable.' Alice said to Lila and she smiled.

'I know.' Lila said.

'Where's Mummy and Daddy, Lils?' I asked.

'Mummy is talking to everyone outside. There is a lot of people outside. Lots of questions.' Lila said before she looked over at Alice, who continued to smile at her. 'Is she Auntie Alice?' Lila whispered not subtly at all.

'Yeah, yeah she is.' I said to her as Grace and Luke came in. She immediately looked at Lila, and then at Alice who was awake and looking at her slightly, Alice's mouth agape at the amount of Royals that had suddenly appeared in her hospital room, and then Grace looked over at Theo who was still asleep. Luke smiled before he ran over and launched himself on his older brother, waking him up.

'Get off me, you idiot.' Theo grumbled as Grace came over, pulling over another chair.

'Hey, Alice. I'm Grace.' She introduced herself before she pulled out a recorder. 'I'm just going to get your statement about what happened so we can let your family in to come to visit you and work on other plans.' Grace said and Alice nodded. 'Are you okay with everyone in here knowing what has happened? We were all nearby when the phone call happened so we have a rough idea what happened, but we need to get your side before we can go any further with the situation.'

'Yeah, no, that's fine.' Alice went to sit up and Grace stopped her.

'You have to stay under the blankets or you'll never warm up.' Grace laughed, and Alice smiled and nodded.

It took around half an hour for Alice to go through in detail what happened the day she was kidnapped. Grace went through with Alice what she had done at work, how she got ready and so on. She then questioned whether there was anything odd that had happened to her the week before, any random texts or messages or an inkling that someone was watching her at any given point. Alice had noticed nothing different in any of her daily routine activities. Theo and Luke sat on the settee reading a book to Lila. Grace seemed to be happy with what Alice had said before she turned off the recorder and quickly said her goodbyes and left. Lila and Luke left with her before Theo came and sat down next to me.

'How you are feeling, Alice?' Theo said softly, gently holding my hand.

'I'm okay, bloody freezing.' Alice joked.

'So, you're coming to stay with us for a while after your discharged?' Theo said.

'I… I can't.' Alice whispered.

'Sure you can, I'm attempting to teach Ellie to cook. She's not too bad, so at least you'll be fed. We've only just moved in so it'll be fine, we have a spare room already set up.' Theo said and before he got an answer, a nurse came in and checked Alice's temperature and her statistics. Eventually, the nurse said Alice should be fine to discharge tomorrow at some point and she will make a full recovery.

'Ellie, can you do me a favour and go and tell Mum that I'm okay?' Alice said and I nodded at her before I hesitated. I realised that Riley would be outside, waiting nervously to hear any news about her daughter. But I knew I had to go out there and talk to my potential Mum, and all of my older brother and sisters. Theo looked over to me, squeezing my hand before he nodded.

'Yeah, yeah I can do that.' I nervously said.

'Thank you.' Alice said as she curled up a bit further, already half asleep. Theo stood up, kissing my forehead before he gestured at the door. Nervously I walked to the door and froze. My entire family could be down the corridor. But I was scared – so, so scared. Theo eventually stopped with me and rubbed my back.

'You can do this sweetheart. I'll be right beside you.' Theo mumbled, taking my hand before he opened the door. We heard people gently mumbling down the corridor as Theo pulled me out of the room and down the corridor. I looked at the squeaky clean floors on the medical floor as the room down the end of the corridor went silent. I then found the courage to look up. I saw Riley dead in front of me and I had to take a deep breath as she teared up. My siblings must have been surrounding her – two incredibly tall guys with brown hair and piercing blue eyes had their arms around Riley's shoulders. Two girls I recognised from the wedding photo Grace had shown me stood to one side, their mouth agape. Other people stood around and I could all see their resemblance to Riley.

And then someone in the corner caught my eye and my stomach dropped. I didn't see the man well when we were kidnapped; we only saw the bottom of his eyes, but I knew it was him. The 2 o'clock shadow he had, the jagged scar on his cheek, the rough jawline he had and the offset nose from one too many breaks. I knew the man to one side, in the corner, was the man who kidnapped myself and Theo.

And I also knew he was my mother's uncle – and his name was Cian.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\\

Hey,

So, I think I might stop this. I spend hours and hours writing and rewriting chapters for everyone, and no one reads this as much as they did. No one leaves reviews. It's too disheartening that no one comments on anything or can be bothered to leave a review, and it's got to the point that theres no point writing chapters if no one cares enough to read it. I had such high hopes for his book and the characters but... I dunno. No one seems to want to read or comment anymore. The only review i had was a nasty one which i deleted.

So yeah, unless theres some kind of magic turnaround, this might be the end of this.


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